New Zealand’s Auckland Zoo is hearing the pitter-patter of fluffy red feet! A Red Panda cub born in mid-January is growing fast, and keepers were able to snap a few quick photos during the cub’s recent weigh-ins.
Photo Credit: Auckland Zoo
At one month old, the little cub weighed about one pound. Bo, the cub’s mother, appears to be taking good care of her cub, because it increased in weight about 25 percent in one week, adding a quarter-pound.
Cubs stay in the nest until they are about three months old, after which they begin exploring the outside world under mom’s watchful eye. At about five to six months old, cubs begin weaning from mother’s milk to bamboo and other leaves, berries, bird eggs, and flower blossoms.
Red Pandas are native to China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar, where they inhabit cool, temperate bamboo forests. Fewer than 10,000 adult Red Pandas are thought to live in the wild, where they are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
See more photos of the Red Panda cub below.
Related articles
Leave a Reply