Fota Wildlife Park welcomes two rare red panda cubs and they need names!

Fota Wildlife Park has announced the birth of two endangered red panda cubs and are now looking for the public to help name them.

The cubs were born on Saturday, 7 June at the Cork-based conservation centre to parents Suzi and Grga.

Suzi, the cubs' mother, is a three-year-old red panda who arrived at Fota Wildlife Park from Berlin Zoo and Grga, the cubs' father, is seven-years-old and came from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019.

As red pandas are listed as endangered species, Suzi and Grga are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which is a collaborative initiative among European zoos and wildlife parks to ensure the survival of threatened species through coordinated breeding efforts. 

The two cubs are not yet visible to the public as they are currently still in their nesting box, sleeping and nursing with their mother.

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Fota Wildlife Park said within the next three weeks, the cubs should start to explore their habitat outside of the nesting box for brief periods in the early morning or late evening under the supervision of their mother.

The park has also called on the public to help name the new cubs. People can submit their suggestions on the park's website and even be in with a chance of winning one of two conservation annual passes.

Commenting on the announcement, Lead Ranger at the park Julien Fonteneau said: "We’re absolutely delighted to announce the births of the two red pandas. It’s been two years since we last welcomed red panda cubs at Fota Wildlife Park. Their mother, Suzi, is a first-time mum and has taken to her new role with ease.

"She’s currently being very protective, displaying typical red panda maternal behaviour by keeping the cubs secure, while diligently feeding and grooming them. Being involved in the care of an endangered species is one of the most meaningful aspects of the animal care work at Fota Wildlife Park. We hope that the red panda births will raise awareness around species and biodiversity loss and will inspire and educate the visiting public and future generations."

He added: "Although the cubs remain mostly hidden for now, visitors might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when Suzi occasionally moves them between nesting boxes. Over the next few months, and as they grow more confident, the cubs are expected to make brief appearances during quieter periods of the day, closely supervised by Suzi."