Red Panda Triplets Born at Michigan Zoo
I'll start off by saying I had no idea that red pandas even existed. Seriously, I've never seen one until today and holy hell are they freaking cute.
This week John Ball Zoo announced the birth of three red panda babies.
We are so excited and happy to announce the birth of red panda triplets! The cubs were born June 25 to parents Wyatt and Wasabi. Mom and the cubs are doing well! Like red pandas in the wild, as long as mom and cubs keep doing well, the cubs will spend their first weeks in the maternity den bonding with Wasabi. We will also perform the cubs’ first neonatal exam, provide the first vaccinations, and determine the gender of the cubs.
Apparently the birth is a pretty big deal because it's believed there are less than 2,500 adult red pandas left in the wild and are considered endangered.
Since I didn't know anything about red pandas, I did a little research. According to Wikipedia, The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a mammal species native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. The red panda's numbers continue to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression. Despite its name, it is not closely related to the giant panda.
I guess you learn something new every day.