The sex of the two newborn red pandas is known: a male and a female. “There are now two female and two male pandas living in Amersfoort Zoo”, says zookeeper Mirthe Wesbonk. “The cubs are doing really well. They are growing like weeds. They’re are still in the nest with their mother, but they could go outside at any moment.”

“The animals were born in early July. Now the young were old enough to weigh, vaccinate, sex and microchip them. The chipping takes place so that in the future we can quickly find out what the animal's medical history is," explains Mirthe. Although pandas are often in the treetops, mating often takes place on solid ground.

The animals are native to the slopes of the Himalayas in Asia. With their fluffy fur and dark brown eyes, they have a great appeal to people. Sadly, they are illegally kept as pets and their numbers in the wild suffer as a result. Also, due to poaching and felling, only 10,000 red pandas are left in the wild. The DierenPark Amersfoort Wildlife Fund therefore supports the Red Panda Network, which trains the local population to become forest rangers. These 'forest police' keep control of the panda's habitat. Mirthe: “Since things are unfortunately not going well for the species in their original habitat, we are extra happy with this double panda birth in DierenPark Amersfoort .”