The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden has confirmed the death of Dayah, a female red panda, due to a rare viral infection known as red panda amdoparvovirus (RPAV). The disease caused severe multi-organ changes that were only discovered during a post-mortem examination. Dayah appeared healthy until her condition collapsed rapidly, highlighting the difficulty in diagnosing the virus, which lacks a specific symptom set and a standardized screening protocol.
Experts from the zoo and the University of Veterinary Medicine are currently researching the virus. While it is estimated that up to half of the red panda population may carry the virus, only a small fraction develops serious illness. It remains unclear what triggers the onset of symptoms in infected carriers.
Dayah’s cub, Cékla, is currently being cared for by zoo staff. Although the cub has survived the first critical days, it has been identified as visually impaired, necessitating intensive artificial rearing and close monitoring to support its development.