Tiny squeaks from a nest box tipped off keepers at West Midlands Safari Park to a new arrival, a red panda cub born on June 21.
The cub’s sex is not yet known. It was born to six-year-old Mei Lin and eight-year-old Sanka.
Keepers will monitor the newborn and Mei Lin from a safe distance for the next few weeks. They will carry out a quick health check when the cub is three months old, when they will determine its sex and choose a name.
The birth comes a month after the park said goodbye to the cub’s older sisters, Nadiya and Nikisha, who moved to other zoos in May as part of the endangered species breeding program.
Head keeper Vicky McFarlane said, “Following last year’s red panda cubs, Nadiya and Nikisha, leaving for their new homes just a few short weeks ago, we are overjoyed to announce that Mei Lin has given birth to another beautiful red panda cub.
“Mei Lin is an experienced mum, having had three cubs previously and she knows exactly what to do, so keepers leave her undisturbed to do what she does best.
“So, the cub will stay in the nest box, growing bigger every day for the next few months, under the careful supervision of mom.
“With a wild population of less than 10,000 individuals, every red panda birth is special and aids conservation efforts for this endangered species.”
The cub is the fourth born at the Bewdley, Worcestershire, attraction in four years.
Its name will start with the letter O, because all animals born at the park in 2026 have names beginning with that letter.
Mei Lin arrived at the park in August 2021. Sanka joined her in March 2022 as part of the EEP, or EAZA Ex-Situ Programme, a collaboration between European zoos to conserve endangered species.
Red pandas are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to the loss, degradation and fragmentation of their habitat caused by human activities.
The park said reports of poaching and hunting are also rising, along with smuggling live red pandas for the illegal wildlife trade.
Guests are unlikely to see the cub outside the den until it is about four months old.
Read more from Talker News.
