Two red panda cubs born at Poznań's New Zoo at the end of June have been confirmed as female following their first veterinary check.
The youngsters were examined during their first weighing, deworming and microchipping. Each now weighs a little over a kilogram and, while their eyes are beginning to open more fully, they are still finding their feet.
For now, visitors are unlikely to catch much more than a glimpse of the new arrivals. The cubs spend most of their time inside their shelter, with their mother, Indira, keeping a close watch over them.
The cubs are staying close to Indira
The red panda cubs are not ready for the larger outdoor enclosure just yet. The two sisters will remain in the shelter for the coming months as they continue to develop and become more confident.
Eventually, they will venture onto the main enclosure, where they will be able to explore the branches and climb among the trees.
Until then, visitors to the red panda area are more likely to see their father, Toshi. The male is now more than 12 years old and remains a familiar presence at the New Zoo.
The latest examination was an important early milestone for the cubs. It also allowed the zoo team to establish their sex, something that had been eagerly awaited by a group of residents of the Blessed Edmund Bojanowski Residential Care Home in Wilda. The two young red pandas will be given names chosen by women living at the residential care home.
Zoo staff recently met with the residents to talk about the red pandas and their arrival. The group had been waiting to find out whether the cubs were female or male before making their choice.
The new names will be announced during the New Zoo's celebrations for International Red Panda Day on Saturday, 19 September.
The event will offer visitors a chance to learn more about the species and, depending on how much the cubs have progressed by then, perhaps hear the latest news about the young sisters.
A species under pressure in the wild
The arrival of two red panda cubs is also significant beyond the zoo enclosure.
Red pandas are native to the Himalayan region, with populations found in Nepal, Bhutan, northern India and western China. Their numbers in the wild continue to decline, and the species is listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
There is also ongoing scientific discussion about red panda classification, with some researchers considering the modern red panda family to comprise two species.
For visitors in Poznań, the young animals provide an opportunity to see a species that is rarely encountered outside its native range while also learning about the challenges facing its wild populations.
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Source and image credit: Ogród Zoologiczny w Poznaniu
