First steps for new Red Panda cubs born at Welsh Zoo

The Red Panda are considered a vulnerable species by the WWF and other conservation groups. Credit: Welsh Mountain Zoo

Two red panda cubs, a species considered to be vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund, have been born at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay.

The birth of the twins mark the second set of cubs born at the Zoo, with Keepers recently carrying out a first health check on the cubs and weighing them.

The cubs are being taken care of by Keepers at the Zoo. Credit: Welsh Mountain Zoo

Those keen to spot a Red Panda cub at home are able to log on to the webcam on the Zoo’s website www.welshmountainzoo.org to see if they can spot one of the cubs first hand.

Red Pandas are also classed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with a population in the wild of 10,000 individuals.

FACTS ABOUT RED PANDAS:

  • They were once thought to be closely related to the giant panda, but genetics has shown they are more closely allied with the raccoon and weasel families.

  • They tend to live alone in the wild, only rarely traveling in pairs or in families.

  • They measure in at just larger than a domestic cat.

  • They mainly feed on leaves and bamboo, but occasionally snack on fruit, insects, bird eggs and small lizards, too.

  • The loss of nesting trees and bamboo in the Eastern Himalayas—the location of almost 50 percent of the red panda’s habitat—is causing a decline in red panda populations across much of their range.

The Red Panda are considered a vulnerable species by the WWF and other conservation groups. Credit: Welsh Mountain Zoo