A red panda is seen in this file photo at the Chattanooga Zoo.A second red panda died at the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park over the weekend.
Zoo officials announced Monday that Butch, an ailing 16-year-old red panda, died after suffering from excess fluid around his lungs.
"The extended life of this particular animal points to the excellent care given to him by his keepers," according to a zoo news release.
In the wild, the average life expectancy of red pandas is eight to 10 years. But many experts say animals in captivity live longer, and some red pandas at the Knoxville Zoo have lived to be 18, according to Angela R. Glatston, curator of mammals and conservation coordinator of the Rotterdam Zoo and author of the book "Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda."
The oldest red panda on record lived to 21 years and seven months at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, according to Glatston.
The Chattanooga Zoo lost an 11-year-old red panda, Bella, last month and announced her death last week. Zoo officials said Bella died after fighting a skin infection for more than a year.
Zoo officials had termed both Bella and Butch "geriatric."
Chattanooga zoo spokeswoman and Friends of the Zoo board member Robin Derryberry said Monday the University of Tennessee College of Medicine necropsy of Bella has not been finalized.
Last week, UT officials said they were are awaiting permission from zoo Director Darde Long to release copies of the necropsy.
Derryberry said Monday that zoo officials decline to talk about the turnaround.
Contact staff writer Pam Sohn at psohn@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6346.