Sydney\u2019s Taronga Zoo recently welcomed the arrival of two red panda cubs and is celebrating by allowing online subscribers to enjoy free behind the scenes access to the babies in their purpose-built, soundproof nesting box via a brand-new Red Panda Cub Cam. The yet to be named cubs were born on December 8, 2021, and have been bonding with their mother, Amala, and father, Pabu, ahead of making their first public appearance in Taronga Zoo\u2019s custom-made red panda habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
According to keepers, Amala and Pabu are experienced parents, though the cubs have been closely observed in their nesting box since birth. \u201cAmala is very attentive and nurturing,\u201d Carnivore Keeper Rebecca Baldwin said. \u201cThrough the monitoring of our CCTV cameras, we can see that she is constantly grooming and cleaning the cubs and is encouraging them to take their first wobbly steps within the security of their nest box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the 51st and 52nd red panda cubs to be born at Taronga Zoo, the new arrivals also represent another success for the global red panda breeding program, which commenced at the Zoo in 1977. \u201cThe birth of these red pandas is very significant, because they\u2019re not doing too well out in the wild,\u201d Baldwin explained. With less than 10,000 animals remaining in the wild, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has officially classed red pandas as endangered. A major factor contributing to declining wild red panda populations is habitat loss, particularly in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and China, where the environment in which red pandas prefer to live is slowly but surely being encroached upon by humans. Illegal wildlife trafficking constitutes another threat to the species, as does accidental trapping of wild red pandas in snares intended for other animals such as deer and wild boars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to being important to the continuing success of the red panda breeding program at Taronga Zoo, the timing of the cubs\u2019 arrival could not have been more perfect, coinciding with the release of a new film Disney and Pixar film titled Turning Red<\/em> which features a red panda in cartoon form.\u00a0 Access to the cubs via the Taronga Zoo\u2019s new Red Panda Cub Cam is being sponsored by Turning Red<\/em>, which released on the Disney+ streaming platform in March 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Turning Red <\/em>tells the story of a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl named Meilin \u201cMei\u201d Lee who turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets excited or stressed. After her initial transformation \u2013 which also has the side effect of turning her previously black hair bright red \u2013 Mei discovers her ancestors had a mystical connection with red pandas. The movie subsequently unfolds as an entertaining coming of age tale, with Mei navigating a path between toeing the line as an obedient daughter and embracing the chaos of youth, all while trying to deal with the intense emotions that cause her to transform into a gigantic red panda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even two months after their birth, Taronga Zoo\u2019s new cubs are incredibly tiny when compared with Mei when she takes red panda form. Thanks to their small size and current reluctance to leave their mother\u2019s side, however, the Zoo\u2019s Red Panda Cub Cam has been able to provide viewers with a keeper\u2019s eye view of the new arrivals since they were born. Touted as allowing subscribers to access exclusive video content and behind the scenes action, the Red Panda Cub Cam has already shown the red panda cubs bonding with their parents and is expected to capture footage of the cubs as they hit various developmental milestones, including taking their first steps and emerging from their nesting box for the first time. As Baldwin noted, \u201cwhilst they are still small and weighing only a couple of hundred grams, the cubs are spending their time within the security of their nest box which makes for great viewing. They won\u2019t start to venture out under the cover of darkness until they\u2019re about 12 weeks old.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taronga Conservation Society CEO Cam Kerr AO agreed the Red Panda Cub Cam was a great initiative that enabled audiences to engage with and be educated about this endangered species. \u201cBeing able to connect visitors and our global audiences with the world\u2019s remarkable wildlife is at the forefront of what we do,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cPlatforms like this Red Panda Cub Cam is an example of how we connect our audiences with wildlife and in doing so, inspire them to act for the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to sponsoring the Red Panda Cub Cam, Turning Red <\/em>is sponsoring a competition to win an overnight Taronga Roar and Snore experience for open to anyone who adopts a red panda via the Taronga Zoo Parent program before 17 March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the Red Panda Cub Cam will only be available for a limited time, most likely until the cubs leave the safety and comfort of their nesting box and begin to explore their habitat at Taronga Zoo more fully, the newest additions to Taronga\u2019s red panda family have already become ambassadors for their species. They may be small, but the red panda cubs are already helping raise awareness of the plight of their endangered counterparts in the wild and encouraging support of Taronga Zoo\u2019s important conservation work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n