Looking for a Middle School Reading Comprehension Worksheet Templates? Download it for free!

National Zoo Panda Healthy, Vibrant (1270l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2

Vale Middle School Reading Article

National Zoo Panda Healthy, Vibrant (1270L)

the cub died after six days. Its lungs hadn't fully developed and likely weren't

Notes on my thoughts,

reactions and questions as I

sending enough oxygen to its liver.

read:

Following that disappointment, zookeepers changed their protocols for newborn

pandas in consultation with Chinese breeders. The plan was for veterinarians to

get their hands on the panda within 48 hours of its birth, and after two failed

attempts on Saturday, panda keeper Marty Dearie was able to pry the cub away

from Mei Xiang on Sunday morning.

"All the external features looked perfectly normal, so the cub has been described

as vibrant, healthy and active," Baker-Masson said. "My colleagues were very,

very happy. This is joyful news."

Mei Xiang was agitated when the cub was taken away from her, pacing and

growling in her den, but the mother calmed down immediately after the cub was

returned to her and she began cradling it, Baker-Masson said.

Veterinarians will try to examine the cub again Tuesday. Its eyes have yet to

open, and its gender will not be known for two to three weeks. A DNA sample

was collected to determine the cub's paternity. Mei Xiang was artificially

inseminated with sperm from Tian Tian, the male panda at the National Zoo, and

a panda named Gao Gao at the San Diego Zoo.

Zoo officials aren't sure what prevented the stillborn cub from developing, but it

had abnormalities around its head and was missing its brain. Results from a

necropsy won't be known for several days.

Nuckols, B. National zoo panda healthy, vibrant. Associated Press. Available at . August 26, 2013.

National Zoo Panda Healthy, Vibrant (1270l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet Page 2