Two Red Panda cubs were born on
June 26 at the Kansas City Zoo. The two male cubs weighed four ounces each
just one day after birth. At their
two-week checkup, they had more than doubled in size!

Dad Fagan and mom Gaila are
keeping their cubs close for warmth and feeding. Youngsters generally stay in
the nest for about 90 days. The zoo’s Red Pandas live in an air-conditioned indoor exhibit in the summer, then move
outdoors to enjoy the cool winter weather. As Himalayan natives, Red Pandas can tolerate very cold temperatures. Zoo
guests can see the male twins on a TV monitor at the exhibit.

Two-year-old Gaila came to Kansas
City from the National Zoo at age one. It was recommended by the Red Panda Species
Survival Plan that Gaila breed with 13-year-old Fagan. Fagan has been at the
Kansas City Zoo for 12 years and fathered one cub in 2006. Cubs are extremely
important to the captive population of Red Pandas, because there are only 116
currently in captivity in the United States.