Zoo in Sydney welcomes red panda triplets for the first time
Taronga Zoo Sydney has bred more than 40 red pandas, but this is the first time triplets have been born there.
Red panda triplets, two males and a female, have been welcomed to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where they are beginning to explore their enclosure.
The three babies, named Rohan, Ishwar and Mishry, were born on December 7 and have just started to emerge from their nest box.
Posting a video of the 13-week-old cubs to Facebook, the zoo said: “Over the past three decades, Taronga has successfully bred over 40 red pandas, but until now we have never had triplets!”
The footage of the red pandas exploring, getting weighed, and receiving cuddles now has more than 11,000 views from visitors.
Ben Haynes, carnivore keeper at the zoo, said: “Red pandas are classed as an endangered species, and for that reason we have a breeding programme here at Taronga Zoo to act as an insurance population for their wild counterparts.
“They’ve spent the first 13 weeks of their life in the nest box. Only in the last week or so the cubs have started to emerge, mostly at night, to explore their surroundings.”
