The Zoo Boise red panda cubs, born June 21, 2021, were extremely active in the snow last week. Check out this video of the pair playing in the snow while it was still dark outside.
Zoo Boise has turned the act of visiting the zoo into a conservation action. Since 2007, visits to Zoo Boise have generated more than $3 million towards the conservation of animals in the wild, redefining why we have a zoo. Zoo Boise is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, a national organization that supports excellence in animal care, conservation, education, and science.
The two red pandas recently born at The Netherlands’ Amersfoort Zoo have been given names: “The female is called 'Suki' and the male is called 'Hikaru'. “Suki” means “love”, “Hikaru” means “brilliant”, says animal caretaker Saskia van Soest. “The animals were born in July, but sexing, and therefore also naming, takes place when the young are a bit older. The pandas are doing very well and they are exploring their enclosure to the fullest.”
Red pandas are native to the Himalayas in Southeast Asia.
“We are very happy with the young pandas, because this species is not doing well in the wild. With their fluffy fur and dark brown eyes, they have a great appeal to people and are very popular as pets. Many people therefore bring a panda into their home,” explains Saskia. Also, due to poaching and felling, only 10,000 red pandas are left in the wild. The Amersfoort Zoo 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.
The baby red pandas born in July at Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park are thriving and can even be seen out on exhibit. As of Friday Oct. 29, Paprika is 2.4kg and Saffron is 2.0kg. They’re growing steadily and are very healthy. They have started to venture out on exhibit and are showing more and more independence.
Potter Park Zoo had another reason to celebrate July 4 when two red panda cubs were born in the early morning hours, making Maliha a second time mother. The cubs have been resting in an off-exhibit nest box under their mother’s care. Veterinary staff has conducted regular weight and wellness checks since then to monitor their growth and development, and animal care staff monitor mom and the cubs daily through a camera mounted in the nest box.
“It’s a special privilege to welcome red panda cubs, and we are all thrilled,” said Liz Jagenow, Maliha’s primary trainer. “Maliha has proven to be an attentive mother and we are confident the cubs are in good hands”.
Maliha’s mate, Deagan-Reid, arrived from Zoo Knoxville earlier this year, and the two bred shortly after. This birth marks Maliha’s second litter, following two cubs with a different male in 2016. In both cases, the pairings were recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for red pandas, which matches animals carefully by genetic profile. Her new cubs will join a valuable population of fewer than 220 red pandas in AZA institutions across the country.
“Maliha and the cubs are part of a much larger picture,” said Zoo Director Cindy Wagner. “Potter Park and other AZA accredited zoos work in close cooperation to maintain a healthy red panda lineage, and these births are the result of careful planning and preparation”.
Red panda newborns are deaf, blind, and small enough to fit into an average adult’s palm. It takes over 2 weeks for cubs to open their eyes, and about month before they begin venturing out of their nest. Until then, Maliha and the cubs will remain off-exhibit. However, footage from a nest box camera will be shared on Potter Park Zoo’s social media. Deagan-Reid will remain in his outside habitat for all to visit.
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 .”
An endangered red panda cub born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo in July has been given her first health check and named Ruby, just in time for International Red Panda Day (Saturday 18 September).
Staff at the wildlife conservation charity voted for her name from a shortlist drawn up by keepers as a thank you for their hard work over the last year.
Jo Elliott, animal collection manager, carnivore keeper at Edinburgh Zoo said, “We wanted to give our kit a name which pays homage to red pandas and would also fit nicely with our previous kit’s name, Ruaridh. The carnivore team came up with a shortlist of names and put it out to our colleagues as a vote.
“Everyone at RZSS has worked so hard this last year, providing expert care for all of the animals at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park throughout the pandemic and working to connect the public with nature during lockdown. This was a small thing we could do to say thank you.
“Red pandas are a visitor favourite here at the zoo and Ruby’s birth is significant for this endangered species, which is at risk due to habitat loss and poaching.”
Although red pandas are protected in most of their native range, they are still hunted illegally for their fur and tail, which is seen as a lucky charm in some cultures.
Visitors may have to wait a little while longer to spot two-month-old Ruby for themselves, as red panda kits stay in the den until around four months old when they will then start to explore outside.
Jo continued, “As she grows, Ruby’s fur will become redder and her tail will grow bushier. She will start exploring outside with mum at first and then on her own as she becomes more independent.
“Her parents, Bruce and Ginger, can still be seen exploring outside during the day.
“The pair have previously proven themselves as good parents with Ruaridh, who was born here in 2019 and named by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who funded our red panda enclosure.”
For the second time in its history, the Idaho Falls Zoo has welcomed red panda cubs to its zoo family!
On the morning of July 1, 2021, a zookeeper checking on the pandas early in the morning heard several squeaks and squeals when they entered Marvin and Linda’s off-exhibit nesting space.
Two healthy female cubs were born to their mother, Linda, and father, Marvin!
South Bend, IN (Monday, July 26, 2021) – The Potawatomi Zoo is excited to announce the birth of two female red panda cubs, born on June 17, 2021, to mother Maiya, age 7, and father Justin, age 9. This breeding was part of a recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Zoo staff watched the first few hours of the cubs’ lives from closed-circuit cameras while first-time mother Maiya got used to caring for them. In order to give Maiya a quieter, less stressful space, the red panda habitat was blocked from public access, and Justin was moved to another area behind the scenes.
In the first twenty-four hours, Zoo staff weighed the cubs and determined that one was smaller than the other and seemed to have respiratory difficulty. After discussion with the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, the decision was made to remove the smaller cub to be hand-reared by animal care staff and leave the larger cub with Maiya. The goal is to eventually reintroduce the smaller cub to Maiya, once it has gained weight and seems to be strong enough.
Within the last three weeks, both cubs have gained weight and seem to be thriving. The Zoo is cautiously optimistic, although the mortality rate for red panda cubs is nearly 50% and even higher for hand-reared cubs.
Breeding season for red pandas is between January and March. They can have one to four offspring. In the wild, red pandas give birth in tree hollows. At the Zoo, Maiya’s nest box was adapted to be smaller to better fit this natural instinct.
Red panda cubs are born with their eyes and ears closed; they open within three weeks. At birth, red panda cubs are grey and wooly. Their reddish guard hairs start to appear after two weeks.
Red pandas are indigenous to a narrow geographical area stretching across the eastern Himalayas and southern China. Their physical structure, like their thick coat and furred feet, as well as their low metabolic rate, make them well-adapted to cool-weather environments. Red pandas are part of the order Carnivora due to their digestive system structure, although because of their natural environment, the species has adapted to largely consuming bamboo and shoots.
In the late afternoon of Tuesday, July 14, 2020 The Toronto Zoo welcomed an endangered female red panda cub, affectionately known as #BabyRed, and they need YOUR help to give her a name! Beginning Saturday, September 19, 2020 – in celebration of International Red Panda Day - through Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 11:59 pm vote at torontozoo.com for your favorite from the selected names below:
Ada - meaning first daughter, happy, prosperous, adored Adira - meaning strong Apple - mom's favorite treat Kenna - meaning born from fire
ZooBorns will cast a vote on your behalf as well! Watch this behind-the-scenes "A Day In The Life Of A Keeper" video and vote in the comments. We'll tally up the votes and submit the most popular name to Toronto Zoo.