Tiny ‘elusive’ creature with ‘vibrant’ red coloring born at Michigan zoo. See the baby
.jpg "Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, is celebrating the birth of an endangered red panda cub.")
An “elusive” mammal known for its striking red coloring was born at a Michigan zoo as part of species conservation efforts.
The baby red panda came into the world June 19 and is faring well so far, the Potter Park Zoo said in a July 9 news release.
Cubs are born “deaf, blind and tiny,” and this cub was no exception, weighing less than half a pound at its first exam, zookeepers said. The species, native to the Himalayas and western China, is known for several physical attributes that makes it “one of nature’s unique creations,” the Lansing zoo said.
The zoo called the baby’s birth a “milestone” achievement for both the zoo and the endangered species. The father, Degan-Reid, was brought to the zoo from Tennessee to breed with the mother, Maliha, as part of the species’ survival program, according to the zoo.
This baby marks the breeding pair’s third litter together, zookeepers said.
“Distinctive for their vibrant reddish-brown fur and striking facial markings, red pandas also possess a unique feature: a false thumb,” according to zookeepers.
Like giant pandas, red pandas use their false thumbs to grab and eat bamboo, but the two species aren’t close relatives, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
They also have long, bushy tails that help them walk, unlike giant pandas.
In the coming weeks, veterinarians will determine the baby’s sex, but for now, they said they’re monitoring the baby through a camera in the nest box.
“Maliha is doing wonderfully as a mother. She’s very attentive and has been caring for the newborn with great dedication,” the zoo’s carnivore area lead keeper, Annie Marcum, said. “The cub is actively nursing and growing well.”
The baby and the mom are away from their public exhibits during the development period. Cubs usually open their eyes at around 2 weeks old, and they begin to explore their area at around 2 months old, according to the zoo.
Only two days before the cub’s birth, another Michigan zoo celebrated the birth of red panda twins, McClatchy News reported. The Detroit Zoo welcomed two babies to a first-time mom June 17.