Auckland Zoo welcomes rare red panda twins
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
A pair of endangered red panda cubs have been born at Auckland Zoo.
The litter - less than a week old - have not yet seen the outside world but appear to be doing well, the zoo reports.
Carnivores team leader Lauren Booth said that the pair, born just after 3am last Thursday, appeared healthy.
'By watching the nest box cameras we've set up, we can see they have both been suckling. We couldn't ask for a better mum in Bo.'
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Six-year-old mum Bo arrived at the zoo in 2012 and has now given birth to six cubs.
The babies will remain away from humans for at least a month while they're nursed by Bo in the nest, Booth said.
'We're keeping a regular watch on the cubs, but taking a very hands-off approach so Bo can continue to do the great job she's doing, and we minimise any potential stress for her.
'Around late February will be a safe time for us to do a full vet check on the cubs to find out whether we have boys or girls or both,' she said.
It could be 'some time' before visitors are able to see the cubs venturing out of their nest, Booth said, as red pandas developed slowly and were dependent on their mother for at least three months.
Red panda cubs are born blind. They become independent from their mother by about 8 months old.
The pair were the final offspring of their father, 15-year-old Sagar, who was euthanised in December.
'The average lifespan of a red panda is 8-12 years, so Sagar reached a great old age for a red panda,' Booth said.
'But due to his age he had developed a spinal condition that was at the point where treatment was not able to increase his quality of life.'
Sagar arrived at the zoo in 2010 from Darjeeling Zoo in India.
'He's left a great legacy within the region fathering six cubs over the course of three years. With these two being the last of his legacy with Bo, it was nice to have this positive to focus on as we said a difficult goodbye,' Booth said.