The cub was the first success for the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo’s natural breeding programme, with the birth being celebrated across the country.

But the unnamed male was found dead just six days later, lying on his mother’s chest with his belly up.

According to reports, vets tried to revive the baby, but found that it had died from pneumonia.

The cub had been the first to be born in Japan for more than 20 years. Female pandas ovulate once a year and have a window of just 36 hours in which they can get pregnant.

Baby pandas are born pink, blind and without teeth (pictured).

Approximately 1600 pandas remain in the wild in China, while around 300 are in captivity – most of them in China.

Image: Getty



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