Adorable red panda twins born at Welsh Mountain Zoo - and they need names
The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay has recently welcomed a pair of adorable twin red panda cubs.
The gender of the adorable twosome is yet to be determined and names for the twins have not been revealed.
Born to mother, Nuri, and father, Ming Ming, the cubs are staying in their nest box until they grow bigger, as they are just a few weeks old.
Threatened by poaching and a shrinking habitat, the bushy-tailed herbivores are endangered, with less than 10,000 left in the wild.
It makes the north Wales-born twins even more special, and marks Nuri and Ming Ming's fifth successful pregnancy.
Their birth comes just a few weeks after the zoo reopened, having lost "more than £500,000 of income" during lockdown.
Kim Wood, Director of Living Collections at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, spoke of their first few weeks: “These delightful twins arrived in July and have been hidden away in the nest box with mum, who has been doing an amazing job of rearing them.
"The keepers have been keeping a close eye on the pair during these early days, and are pleased to report the cubs are developing well.
"They are incredibly cute and we expect to see them taking their first cautions steps out of their nest box in the coming weeks, as they start to become more active.
Red pandas are skilful and acrobatic animals that mainly live in trees, with 50 per cent of their habitat in the steep forests of the Himalayas.
The Welsh Mountain Zoo is part of a network of European zoos that work together to protect the captive population of red pandas.
"We’re incredibly proud of our history in breeding red pandas, this time welcoming our sixth and seventh cubs," Kim continued.
"We work closely with other zoos and organisations both nationally and throughout Europe to support the vital breeding programme of this wonderful species."