Red panda cub "Mei Mei"
Rare Red Panda Triplets Born at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Oct 21, 2009Cleveland Metroparks Zoo proudly welcomes three bundles of joy – and cuteness – into the world.
Red panda triplets were born at the Zoo earlier this summer, and the 2-pound siblings are growing bigger and stronger by the day.
Red panda cubs rarely come in threes, and the new arrivals are just the fourth, fifth and sixth of their subspecies (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) ever born at the Zoo.
“Until this year, it had been 10 years since the last red panda triplets were born at an accredited zoo in North America,” said Christopher Kuhar, Ph.D., Curator of Primates and Small Mammals. “Red pandas are endangered in the wild, so these births are important to ensure we have a strong captive population that can serve as ambassadors for the few red pandas remaining in the wild.”
The triplets were born on June 28 to mother, “Ruth,” and father, “Gordi,” the Zoo’s breeding pair of adult red pandas.
Two of the triplets, a male named “Pang Pang” and a female named “Xiao,” have started venturing away from mom and out on their own at the red panda exhibit outside the Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building.
The third triplet, a female named “Mei Mei,” is being raised by veterinary technicians at the Center for Zoological Medicine. Mei Mei, whose name is an affectionate term for “little sister” in Mandarin, needed extra medical attention and nurturing shortly after birth.
After she recovered, the Zoo’s Animal Care team returned Mei Mei to her mother, but she was not accepted into the nest. She’ll stay at the animal hospital until she’s mobile enough to go on exhibit with other red pandas.
With the new arrivals, the Zoo is now home to five red pandas.
Red pandas are extremely endangered in their native Nepal, China and Burma due to habitat loss and hunting. Only a few thousand remain living in the wild.
Although red pandas live in the same bamboo forests as the more commonly known giant pandas, they are much smaller and look more like raccoons than bears. They have striking red fur, with white facial markings and long, bushy tails.
To learn more, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Zoo Marketing & Public Relations
Tom O’Konowitz (216) 635-3310
to@clevelandmetroparks.com
Sue Allen, Manager (216) 635-3338
sja@clevelandmetroparks.com
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