CINCINNATI — An Ohio zoo is celebrating the birth of a red panda cub.
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The Cincinnati Zoo announced on Friday that Marcy, the red panda, welcomed her first cub.
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“This little one marks a huge milestone as the 100th red panda cub born at the Cincinnati Zoo,” the post said.
The breeding program started in the early 1980s.
Marcy was pregnant with twins, but one of the cubs was stillborn.
The zoo said this can happen with first-time red panda mothers.
“That is not uncommon for multiples, but it is still sad for the team that would otherwise be celebrating this huge milestone,” Cincinnati Zoo zoological manager Julie Grove said. “We are thrilled that the surviving cub is doing well and has been observed nursing.”
Less than 10,000 red pandas are estimated to remain in the wild, so each birth is an important contribution to the conservation of the endangered species, according to the post.
“Breeding recommendations are made by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP looks at the whole AZA population and makes pairing decisions based on genetics and program capacities,” Grove said. “They sent Marcy here last November to breed with Zuko, a three-year-old male that is now a first-time dad. He just missed Father’s Day!”
The cub will remain “behind the scenes” in the nesting box with its mom for the next few weeks.
The Cincinnati Zoo said it will continue to provide updates on the cub on their social media accounts.
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