The Santa Barbara Zoo is mourning the loss of Ruby, a 2-year-old female red panda who died following a sudden, unexpected medical crisis.
In an Instagram post, zoo officials say Ruby was admitted to the zoo’s animal hospital over the weekend after experiencing a medical emergency.
Preliminary diagnostics indicate she had Addison’s disease, a rare endocrine disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce essential hormones. The zoo says the condition can be difficult to detect because animals often show few or no signs in its early stages…