Red panda born in Berlin as part of global breeding program

PTI, Jul 30, 2020, 5:48 PM IST

Berlin: A rare red panda has been born at a Berlin zoo, only a few months after its parents were brought to the German capital from India, the zoo said in a statement Thursday, July 30.

The little cub was first discovered on June 6 in its mother’s cave at the Tierpark Zoo and it is now the size of a guinea pig.

The animal’s gender is known yet known and it has not yet been named. It is the 10th red panda to be raised in Berlin as part of an international breeding program to help protect the endangered animals.

The red panda is originally a native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.

The cub”s parents, mother Shine, 6, and father Joel, 5, who are originally from the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, seem to feel comfortable in their new surroundings, the zoo said.

“I’ ‘m delighted that the two have settled in so well, “ Zoo Director Andreas Knieriem said.

”And with that cute offspring, we can now raise the awareness of even more people for the protection of this highly endangered species.”

The red panda will likely be shown to zoo visitors in September when it is expected to leave its mother’s cave and start exploring the red panda compound’s outdoor facilities.

Es gibt Nachwuchs bei den #KleinenPandas im #TierparkBerlin. Noch etwas verschlafen schaut sich das rot-braune Fellknäul vorsichtig um, gähnt kurz und rollt sich wieder zusammen?Am 6. Juni entdeckten die Tierpfleger das erste Jungtier von unseren #KleinenPandas Shine und Joel. pic.twitter.com/ABjP57ALqs

— Zoo Tierpark Berlin (@zooberlin) July 30, 2020