The birth announcement comes just days ahead of International Red Panda Day which falls this Saturday.
Staff at Fota Wildlife Park have just welcomed some new residents. Already home to several other furry faces, the park has added two more to the list now counting two endangered Red Panda cubs amongst its inhabitants.
A unique species, the Red Panda is closely related to the Racoon. Measuring up to 120cm in length (its tail accounts for half that length), the creature is easily recognisable by its soft reddish-brown fur and black and white markings.
Born on June 13th, the female cubs are now 14 weeks young. Sharing some photos of the adorable little nippers to welcome them to the world, it’s clear that the newborns already have the whole modelling thing down to a tee. Just look at those faces… they certainly know how to work the camera.
We're delighted to announce the birth of 2 endangered Red panda cubs – two females. They are just starting to venture out at 14 weeks old. We also need your help to suggest names! Thanks @DKanePhoto for images. Details on our blog: https://t.co/ctBNa8RXgp #RedPanda #FotaWildlife pic.twitter.com/UHH7KjwZrw
— Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) September 17, 2020
Asking the public for suggestions, staff are in need of a little help when it comes to choosing names for the newcomers so be sure to put your thinking hats on.
Commenting that the Red Panda is ‘definitely one of the favourite species with the public’, lead ranger Julien Fonteneau later added that the new arrivals give staff the opportunity to highlight the fantastic conservation work carried out at the park.
In other exciting news, Clyde the Siamang Gibbon – another of the park’s residents – celebrated his 40th birthday during the week, marking the occasion with some primate-friendly cake of course.
Header image via Twitter/Fota Wildlife Park/Darragh Kane
