Red Panda Cubs Debuting Tomorrow at Philadelphia Zoo
Not the actual red panda cubs at Philly Zoo. Photos will be released after their debut. | Matthieu Photoglovsky via Shutterstock.com
Two red panda cubs that were born this summer will get their grand debut tomorrow morning at the Philadelphia Zoo. At 10:30 am on November 18th, zoo keeps will bring out the little guys, who were born to 5-year-old parents, Basil and Spark. So far, the cubs — one boy and one girl — don’t have names.
The Zoo couldn’t be more thrilled about the new members. Reps say that red pandas, which are found in the Himalayas, have been classified as vulnerable because of loss of habitat, fragmentation, poaching and climate change.
“The birth is important in the Zoo’s efforts in red panda conservation,” says General Curator Kevin Murphy, explaining that they’ve been working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums “to manage populations of threatened, endangered and other species … This birth marks an important step towards the plan.”
Up until their debut, the mother, Spark, has been caring for the cubs. I’m told they are super active, and are currently able to eat a diet of fresh bamboo, grapes, apples and biscuits on their own. When they are big enough, the cubs will move to other institutions to breed with other red pandas.
Similar to the social media campaign they held in 2014 to name their new lion cubs, the Zoo is encouraging fans to chime in about what the cubs should be named. To put in your two cents, visit their Facebook page here, or email pandas@phillyzoo.org. (Have you ever seen a cuter email address?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbDZUgRjf8
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