Red panda cub born
Kitty, Highland Wildlife Park
The Highland Wildlife Park has confirmed its first ever birth of a red panda cub, which is also the first to be born to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for 13 years.
The cub was born to first-time mother Kitty, who celebrated her second birthday on June 22. The pair will be off-display for several weeks, as red panda cubs are born blind, opening their eyes after 18 days, making it a delicate time.
"It is always reassuring when a new pair of animals successfully breeds at the first opportunity as it helps to confirm that the enclosure, diet and husbandry regime are correct," says Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the park.
"It is still early days and Kitty is a first time mum, however the birth of her cub is a real boost to the team of keepers responsible for the pandas’ care as they have worked very hard to make sure that conditions were as conducive to successful breeding as possible."
It is believed there are less than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild, and the species is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The Highland Wildlife Park is part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
