The births are part of a program to maintain a healthy red panda population.
A Michigan zoo has welcomed two new baby red pandas. The two new cubs were born at the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, on July 4 to mother Maliha and father Deagan-Reid, according to a press release.
The cubs don’t have names yet and are "resting in an off-exhibit nest box under their mother's care,” according to the zoo. The red panda cubs will be monitored over the next couple of weeks to make sure they’re developing normally.
Red pandas are born deaf and blind and open their eyes after a few weeks. Around one month, they begin to leave their nests.
"It's a special privilege to welcome red panda cubs, and we are all thrilled," Liz Jagenow, Maliha's primary trainer, said. "Maliha has proven to be an attentive mother and we are confident the cubs are in good hands”.
The cubs are Maliha’s second pair. She welcomed two cubs in 2016 with a different male.
Deagan-Reid arrived at this zoo earlier in 2021 and the animals mated quickly after, according to the zoo. The Potter Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited zoo and is part of a program to “maintain a healthy red panda lineage, and these births are the result of careful planning and preparation."
