ZooBorns

Deja Vu at Dublin Zoo: Red Panda Cubs Again!

Dublin Zoo is delighted to announce the birth of two Red Panda cubs.  The twins were born in June, however before this week they only ventured out of their den at night. Both female cubs were born to parents Angelina and Chota, who gave birth to another set of twins this time last year.  Team Leader Eddie O’Brien said, “Red pandas are endangered in the wild so we are over the moon that this is the second litter born at Dublin Zoo within a year. They are both doing very well and getting more adventurous and confident as they can be seen exploring their habitat during the day now.”

Photo credit: Dublin Zoo

First Red Panda Birth at Planckendael!

For the first time in Zoo Planckendael's history, a baby Red Panda has been born! The timid little new born is difficult to spot, but if you're lucky, you'll catch him scampering from one nest box to another under the watchful eye of her mother, Lolita. The female cub, named Nangwa (Tibetan for "appearance") by keepers, is an ambassador for her imperiled species. The Red Panda is listed on the IUCN Red List as "Vulnerable" because of habitat loss in their native Nepal. Timber from their natural environment is increasingly cut down for fuel and construction. Additionally, their reddish-brown fur is highly sought after.

Photo credit: Planckendael

Meet Justin the Red Panda Cub

Ryo and Pele, Red Pandas at the Memphis Zoo, welcomed their first cub on July 1.  Unfortunately, mom was unable to care for her tiny cub, named Justin, so he was moved to the zoo’s hospital where he is being hand-reared.

Justin is being bottle fed at the hospital, where he will remain for another month. Keepers will gradually begin to thicken his milk to a gruel-like consistency with crushed leaf-eater biscuits, which adult Red Pandas enjoy in their daily diet.  Once he is adjusted to the gruel mix, Justin will be weaned off the bottle and begin eating his food from a bowl.

In addition to a new diet, Justin is also getting a potential mate. Because it’s best to hand-rear Red Panda cubs in pairs, a female Red Panda cub born at the Bronx Zoo is being transferred to the Memphis Zoo to be raised alongside Justin.

“We are very excited about the birth of Justin,” Matt Thompson, Director of Animal Programs said. “Red Pandas are endangered. There are some estimates that put the number of adult Red Pandas in the wild around 2,500. Justin has a very favorable genetic lineage, and we’re hopeful that he’ll be one of many Red Panda cubs born here at the Memphis Zoo.”

Red Pandas, once thought to be related to Giant Pandas, are actually related to raccoons. These nocturnal animals are tree dwellers, and have large, bushy tails to maintain balance while climbing. Red Pandas are native to the Himalayan Mountains in Asia.

Photo Credit:  Memphis Zoo

Red Panda Cubs Are Thriving in South Dakota

It seems love was in the air for two Red Pandas earlier this year at South Dakota's Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History. Zoo officials are now hearing the pitter-patter of little feet. The Zoo’s eight-year-old Red Panda “Ruth” gave birth to a litter of cubs earlier this summer. The two cubs weighed 3.45 ounces and 4.23 ounces at birth, and were born with their eyes and ears closed.

Both in the wild and in captivity, Red Panda cubs have trouble with thriving in their first year of life. Zookeepers recognized that the cubs needed additional care, and began hand-rearing them in the Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital. The Zoo’s animal care staff continues to monitor the cubs, and bottle feeds them three times a day. They now weigh 3.7 and 3.1 pounds. Until last week, one cub was separated in an oxygen chamber. She continues to do well and now only receives oxygen treatments twice a day.

“Our animal care staff has worked tirelessly to ensure the Red Panda cubs receive the best care possible,” said Elizabeth A. Whealy, President and CEO of the Great Plains Zoo. “We have high hopes for these cubs – not just for the fun it will be for us to watch them grow up, but for their importance to the Red Panda population worldwide.”  

Red Pandas are part of the Zoo’s endangered species breeding program. This species faces a tenuous future in the wild; fewer than 10,000 Red Pandas survive in the wild. The forests they inhabit are shrinking due to logging and the spread of agriculture.

Pandemonium Over NEW Zoo's Red Panda Baby

What is that pinkish furball? It's a baby Red Panda, born on June 7 at Wisconson's NEW Zoo. The Red Panda cub is creating excitement among visitors while on exhibit with its parents, Tae Bo and Leafa, even though napping is its biggest activity at the moment. It will be awhile before the baby is up and wandering around the exhibit.

This is the second cub for the couple and all are doing well. Red Pandas mature sexually at 18-20 months and the gestation period for ranges from 110 to 145 days. Feeding almost exclusively on bamboo, Red Pandas are found in mountainous terrain from Nepal through to north eastern India and Bhutan and into China, Laos and northern Myanmar and share part of their range with giant pandas. Their numbers continue to decline in the wild. 

Photo Credit: NEW Zoo

Perth Zoo's Red Panda Twins Receive Clean Bill of Health!

Perth Zoo’s latest breeding success – two Red Panda cubs – made their first brief public appearance today as veterinary staff gave them a health check and vaccinations. The cubs, who have been tucked away in their nest box under the care of their mother Tiamat since their birth on 20 December, were given a quick physical check and vaccinations this morning.

Perth Zoo senior veterinarian Simone Vitali said the eight-week-old cubs, which are not expected to start venturing out of their nest box for another six to eight weeks yet, looked to be strong and in good health.

More information and photos below the fold...

The Red Panda Party Don't Stop!

The Red Panda explosion of late has us wondering: Will the lesser Panda party ever stop? Is that confetti in this little cub's mouth? Regardless, you can't have enough Red Panda babies in your life, so break out the streamers, it's Panda time once again! This pair was born at Franklin Park Zoo on July 4 to Stella Luna, age 6, and Yang, age 5. The typical gestation period for Red Pandas is about 134 days, and females give birth to one to four cubs. Born helpless and with eyes closed, the cubs stay in the nest box with their mother for about the first 90 days. The twins are expected to be on public view sometime in this month. Party on!

Photo credits: Franklin Park Zoo

It's Raining Red Pandas! Rare Triple Birth in Oklahoma

Three’s a charm as the Oklahoma City Zoo celebrates the birth of three Red Panda cubs! Born on June 25 to mom “Celeste” and dad “Yoda,” the cubs, two males and one female, are now discovering their outdoor habitat by Zoo Lake. This was the third set of cubs for both parents and a rare occurrence of a triple birth – usually Red Pandas only give birth to two cubs at a time. The cubs mark the eighth, ninth and tenth red panda births to occur at the zoo, with the most recent cub births in June of 2010. The 2010 cubs, a male a female, moved to other zoos in 2010 as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP). The male went to the Central Park Zoo in New York and the female to the Indianapolis Zoo. These photos are courtesy of the Oklahoman newspaper.

Photo credits: Bryan Terry, Copyright 2011, The Oklahoman

The birth of the cubs is a great success for the red panda Species Survival Plan, or SSP. The program was developed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is a cooperative effort among AZA accredited zoos throughout North America created to help promote genetic diversity through this species management program.

Name That Panda!

Now through October 30th Binder Park Zoo is asking for the community’s help to name its newest furry addition, a male Red Panda cub.   Binder Park Zoo’s animal care staff has come up with a list of five possible names for the cub. The choices and their translations are: Dagan, meaning grain of rice in Hebrew; Connolly meaning fierce in Gaelic; Reid meaning red-haired in Gaelic; Xu (pronounced “shoe”) meaning to snort in Chinese; and Di meaning younger brother in Chinese.

Photo credits: Binder Park Zoo

This Red Panda birth is another success for Red panda Conservation.  Red Pandas are listed as an endangered species and Binder Park Zoo works with the Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP) to ensure the captive population remains genetically strong. Delilah is 5 years old and on loan to Binder Park Zoo from the Bronx Zoo as she was genetically matched to breed with Binder’s 8 year old male, Fagen.  Currently, Flynn, Delilah’s male cub that was born at Binder Park Zoo in June of 2010, is on exhibit while Delilah and her new cub get better acquainted.

Twice as Nice - Red Panda Babies at the Dublin Zoo

Two red panda cubs a male and a female, were born at the beginning of August at the Dublin Zoo -- but they have only recently ventured out of the den. From the time they were born their mother, Angelina, kept moving the cubs to different hiding places around the habitat to keep them protected.

Team Leader Eddie O’Brien said, “We are delighted with the arrival of the cubs. They are both doing very well and starting to fend for themselves. Visitors should now be able to spot them roaming around in their habitat.”

Red pandas have thick, dense fur and a long, bushy tail keep them warm. The fur on the soles of their feet also prevents them from slipping on wet branches. Mainly active at sunrise and sunset, they spend the rest of their time asleep in the trees.They live in the wild in the cool, temperate, old-growth forests of southwestern China, the Himalayas and Nepalwhere dens are easily found and there are plenty of hiding places for cubs. Their coloration helps to camoflage them. Bamboo is their favorite food.

Red pandas are endangered in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss. They are now protected by national laws in their range countries, so few of them are hunted, but deforestation is now their greatest threat. Because they hide in the wild, no one knows exactly how many are left in the world.  

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo