#BabySpice: Endangered red panda cub born at the Toronto Zoo
Posted July 21, 2022 10:09 am.
Last Updated July 21, 2022 11:36 am.
Are you ready for some cuteness overload?
The Toronto Zoo announced the birth of an endangered red panda cub, the third red panda to be born at the zoo in over 25 years.
Zoo officials said the male cub, weighing 221 grams (0.2 kilograms), was born at 4:11 p.m. on July 13 to four-year-old Paprika, who has become a mom for the first time.
The cub hasn’t been named yet, but the zoo used the hashtag “BabySpice” to introduce the birth.
We are thrilled to announce the birth of an endangered red panda cub! ????
Born at 4:11pm on Wednesday, July 13, this is only the third red panda birth at your Zoo in over 25 years, and the first cub for four-year-old mom, Paprika ???? #BabySpice pic.twitter.com/vGyLr6CUf9
— The Toronto Zoo (@TheTorontoZoo) July 21, 2022
“We are so excited to welcome this baby red panda to the Toronto Zoo family,” Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf DeJong said in a release.
“Red pandas are an endangered species due to illegal hunting and habitat loss, so contributing to sustaining their managed populations in AZA-accredited zoos is not only a success for your Zoo but also helps to educate our guests about the conservation efforts of this extraordinary species.”
The Zoo said both mom and baby would not be viewable to the public at this point so that they can bond in private as the cub continues to grow.
“Paprika was very calm when she was momentarily separated from him, taking the chance to stretch out and groom herself before returning to the nest box to bathe and attend to her cub,” the Zoo said.
Paprika arrived at the Toronto Zoo in November of 2021 as a potential mate for Suva, a five-year-old male red panda.
Suva’s previous mate, two-year-old red panda Ila, gave birth to two cubs in July of 2020 — the first red pandas born at the Toronto Zoo since 1996.
Sadly, one of the cubs died a week later. In November of that year, Ila died following severe ulcerative colitis.
