Cork's Fota Wildlife Park announces birth of two endangered red panda cubs

Cork's Fota Wildlife Park has announced the arrival of two endangered red panda cubs, born at the park.

The pair were born on June 14 to mother Laxmi who came to Fota from Longleat Safari in England in July 2019 and father Grga, who came from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019. Both Laxmi and Grga are eight years old.

Fota Wildlife Park participates in the Ex-situ Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) for red pandas. 

Classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, red pandas face significant threats in the wild, with estimates documented between 2,500 and 10,000 mature individuals remaining in their natural habitats.

Lead ranger at Fota John Leahy said the cubs are doing well and are expected to become "much more active" during the daytime in the weeks ahead. 

“Although the cubs were born back in June, they have spent these early months sleeping, resting and feeding, with their mother Laxmi taking excellent care of them.

“At the moment, the cubs are not generally out during the day, but they have been venturing out at dusk when the wildlife park is closed. 

“They are now over three months old, so we expect to see them becoming much more active during the daytime in the coming weeks," he said. 

“They may still be quite small, but they already look like fully formed little red pandas. 

“It is fantastic to see them developing so well. 

“Laxmi is a very experienced mother, has a very calm temperament which lends well to her having relaxed cubs.

“Grga, meanwhile, is no stranger to fatherhood. This is his fourth set of cubs at Fota Wildlife Park as part of the EEP. 

“Grga is also a familiar favourite with Fota’s rangers and will often come down from the trees to interact with the animal care team, especially for his favourite treat, grapes," Mr Leahy continued. 

In celebration of International Red Panda Day on Saturday, September 19, Fota is inviting visitors to help choose names for the red panda cubs in keeping with the species native range and cultural heritage. 

A suggestion box is now open in the Serengeti Shop at the park, where visitors can submit their name ideas for the twins and be in with a chance to win one of two conservation annual passes.

The naming competition will close on October 11.