ZooBorns

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

Rare Subspecies of Red Panda Welcomed at NEW Zoo

A very rare and endangered Red Panda was born at the Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo on Jun 12. NEW Zoo collaborates with other AZA zoos and the Red Panda Species Survival Program to ensure the survival of this beautiful animal. Only 18 zoos exhibit this more rare subspecies of Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens refulgens) and there are only 57 individuals in the captive population. In order to keep the gene pool healthy, the AZA has a target population of 110 animals.

Reproduction can be quite difficult for this species. Fluctuations in weight affect fertility and males seem to experience "reproductive senescence" if they don't breed before they reach the age of 12. At 13, male Tae-bo is the oldest first time father on record! Leafa has proven to be a very capable mother. Although she is willing to allow her mate close to the infant male panda, she prefers that Zookeepers keep their distance. The baby is being raised on exhibit and is expected to emerge from the nest box between three and four months of age.

2 + 2 = 4 Red Panda Cubs for National Zoo

On June 17, two red panda cubs were born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. -- this on the heels of two previous cubs born in early June at the Zoo’s facility in Front Royal, VA., bringing their total to four red panda babies in 2011.

At the National Zoo, Shama, the female red panda, gave birth to two cubs in her den in their Asia Trail on June 17. Keepers suspected that she was caring for offspring when she did not respond to their call that morning. A slight squeal was the first indication of a cub!  Zoo staff left the mother alone to bond with and care for the cubs within their den. On the seventh day keepers conducted a quick cub check and, with a one-minute window of opportunity, were able to confirm that two cubs were in the nest box.

Likewise, red panda Lao Mei at the Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal gave birth to a pair on June 5. Keepers have confirmed all four cubs are female and have opened their eyes.

Photo credits: Mehgan Murphy / Smithsonian's National Zoo

Staff is taking precautions to not interfere with the cubs during this critical time. As the opportunity presents itself, they enter the den areas to weigh the cubs and assess their health. Keepers wear a second set of cloth gloves over their standard rubber gloves, which have been rubbed with nesting material and scented with the mother’s feces to cover human scents. All four newborns are steadily gaining weight and appear healthy.

More pics below the fold...

Little Red Panda Cub Ventures Out

Taronga Zoo is celebrating the birth of a male Red Panda cub, the 45th of the vulnerable species to be born at the Zoo since 1977. The male cub, was born to mother, ‘Wanmei’ and father, ‘Mayhem’ in December 2010, and has just started venturing out of the maternal nest box to explore the outside world. The cub has been named ‘Seba’, meaning ‘reward’ in Nepalese. Taronga Zoo Carnivore Keeper, Deborah Price, said: “An animal birth is always a cause for celebration, but we’re particularly proud of our Red Panda Breeding Program. We have the best breeding record in the southern hemisphere, so we’re really happy to welcome another little cub into the world.” Don't miss the outstanding video below.

Photo credit: Peter Hardin

Firefoxes on White!

In early December, we reported on Mozilla Firefox's sponsorship of two baby Red Pandas from Knoxville Zoo. Long time ZooBorns contributors Life On White dropped in to Knoxville on January 4th and came away with some stunning images of the female cubs named Spark and Ember.

Photo credits: Life on White

Firefoxes, Unite!

As huge fans of Firefoxes (aka Red Pandas) and Firefox, Mozilla's web browser, we were thrilled to see the two come together for some long overdue corporate / furry synergy. The cubs, born to mom Akkali and father Chewbacca, arrived at the Knoxville Zoo in June and we covered them when their eyes were barely open. Now almost six months old, the cubs are exhibiting the trademark playfulness of their age and the world can watch thanks to Mozilla's sponsorship of a bazillion live cub cams. Additionally, the joint Mozilla / Knoxville Zoo site provides links to adopt a Red Panda (surely a great holiday gift), name the cubs, and watch highlight videos. We have included the "trailer" vids below. Hopefully we will have more to share in the near future. You can follow the latest updates direct from the "Cub Keeper" on Twitter.

Photo and video credits: Knoxville Zoo