Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Zoo has welcomed a pair of red panda cubs that were born back on June 10.
The pair were born to mom Himalaya (3) and dad Mogwai (5), and they are currently being cared for by mom inside their behind-the-scenes nest box. They are not yet visible to the public.
They are the 14th and 15th red panda cubs to be born at the Buffalo Zoo historically.
“This adorable pair of cubs are a prime example of the Buffalo Zoo’s conservation mission, as we work to secure a brighter future for red pandas in our care and in the wild,” said Lisa Smith, President and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo. “Himalaya continues to do an incredible job caring for her two babies, and our dedicated animal care and veterinary teams have diligently monitored their progress along the way. We cannot wait for our community to eventually meet the new additions.”
The cubs, who do not yet have names or a confirmed gender, are the second litter born to Himalaya and Mogwai in as many years, and the circumstances around the births are quite different this time around.
"When Himalaya gave birth last year, she was a very young mom by red panda standards, and her surviving cub had to be pulled from the nest box and hand-reared by the Zoo's veterinary and animal care teams. That cub, Joy, is now 1-year-old and has moved on to a new zoo in hopes that she’ll start a family of her own," Smith added.
Red pandas are currently considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which makes the cubs’ birth a significant development toward ensuring a future where the species can thrive. The cubs will surely be strong educational ambassadors for their wild counterparts, and when the time comes, hopefully welcome cubs of their own.
Red pandas are native to Asia, specifically the forests of Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. While they possess the digestive system of a carnivore, they are practically vegetarians, eating mostly leaves, bamboo and similar greenery. While they share the name “panda” with the larger, black-and-white bears, the two species belong to entirely different animal families.
The cubs were born last month
The cubs were born last month
