Paw-sitively Adorable! Whipsnade Zoo Welcomes a Baby Red Panda Girl
By Animals Correspondent
A NEW ARRIVAL at Whipsnade Zoo marks a vital boost to the European breeding programme for the red panda – a globally endangered species.
Born at the conservation zoo on 23rd June to mum Ruby and dad Nilo, the Zoo’s vets completed the precious cub’s first health check today (Friday 5th September), with the team delighted to announce that, along with a clean bill of health, the newest member of the panda family is a little girl.
Whipsnade Zoo’s section manager of primates Amanda Robinson said:
“This little girl is a wonderful new addition to the European breeding programme for endangered red pandas, designed to keep a healthy and genetically diverse back-up population safe in good zoos – while we tackle the issues they’re facing in the wild.”
“Hailing from the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, Myanmar and India, as well as forests in Western China, wild red pandas are sadly threatened by habitat loss, a decline in their main food source - bamboo - and poaching for the illegal pet, meat, and medicine trade.”
ZSL, the international conservation charity behind Whipsnade Zoo, is working in the Terai Arc Landscape, an area which spans both Nepal and India, to prevent the illegal wildlife trade, which has led to decline in red panda, Asian elephant and Bengal tiger populations, as well as restore the habitat for these sadly endangered creatures.
ZSL conservationists have helped to train more than 400 rangers, build guard posts and watchtowers, and install surveillance equipment to monitor these threatened species.
Amanda continued: “Ruby has been an incredibly attentive mother – just days after giving birth, she constructed her own nest deep amongst the papyrus grass, and nestled her cub in there to keep the little one safe and secluded. It’s a sign that Ruby’s becoming a more experienced mum, and it's great to see her replicating the nesting behaviour seen by red pandas in the wild – even though it makes them more difficult to spot!”
Whilst red panda cubs are blind for the first 30 days of their lives, the internationally important individual will soon start to leave the nest box and explore her surroundings for the first time.
To celebrate Red Panda Day, 20th September, head to Whipsnade Zoo for extra themed talks and activities on the 20th or 21st September.
Visitors will be able to spot Nilo and Ruby, alongside the conservation zoo’s newest residents - 12 giant trolls, created entirely from recycled materials by Danish artist and activist Thomas Dambo, until 22nd September.
Every ticket supports the conservation work ZSL is doing to protect and restore wildlife around the globe: Tickets | Whipsnade Zoo.
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