Welsh zoo celebrates birth of two endangered animals
Abby Neve
A Welsh zoo is celebrating the birth of two healthy red panda cubs, a species which is classified as endangered in the wild.
The Welsh Mountain Zoo, located in Conwy, are part of a European conservation programme. The twin cubs were born to the zoo’s resident red pandas, Hop and JinJin, and are ‘thriving’.
Hannah Slaney, Head of Animals at the Welsh Mountain zoo, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome our red panda twins who are developing and growing as we would want and expect – they truly are adorable!”
“The birth of these two cubs, however, represents so much more than an exciting addition to the zoo family.”
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“They are an important contribution to the European conservation efforts working to secure the future of this incredible species.”
“We are immensely proud of our team’s continued success in breeding red pandas and supporting conservation.”
Visitors may be able to see the cubs later in the summer as they begin to venture outside.
There are less than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild, and some estimates say the numbers could be as low as 2,500. They are native to the eastern Himalayas, where they are at risk from habitat loss due to deforestation and poaching.
The Welsh Mountain Zoo was opened in 1963 and was recognised in 2008 as the National Zoo of Wales. The zoo supports the Red Panda Network as part of its global conservation commitment.
The zoo released a video of the cubs on their social media accounts with the caption: “We’ve been keeping a very special secret… Behind the scenes at Welsh Mountain Zoo, something wonderful has been happening. We’re incredibly excited to share that JinJin has given birth to red panda twins!”
The zoo has also worked on various other conservation projects, such as a breeding programme for UK’s red squirrels, a snow leopard conservation project, a wild chimpanzee project, and an initiative to save the critically endangered cotton-top tamarin.
More information on visiting the Welsh Mountain Zoo is available on their site here.
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