Home Folkestone News Article
Red panda cubs born at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Hythe
15:00, 22 October 2013
These shy newborns at a wild animal park are causing a bit of confusion for keepers... no-one knows if they're boys or girls!
The cute red pandas were only born a few weeks ago at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, so they are too small for staff to tell their gender.
But the new arrivals are certainly making a big impression on workers at the park, near Hythe.
Head of the small carnivore section, Neville Buck said: "We are delighted with these two new arrivals.
"When the first photo was taken they were too young to start exploring their outside enclosure and are too small to tell whether they are male or female.
"I had to get this picture by quietly approaching the nest box and quickly taking a snap."
The newborns follow the arrival of a female red panda, Wanmei, in July last year, giving keepers high hopes she and male Tiang Ming would hit it off.
The fluffy cubs are Wanmei's first - and she is said to be an excellent mum.
Red pandas are classified as vulnerable in the wild, with fewer than 10,000 adults left.
Although protected by national laws in their native countries, they are still endangered due to poachers and habitat loss, among other threats.
The red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China, with bamboo forests being their natural habitat.
Visitor can expect to see the new arrivals over the next few weeks.
