After a long and fruitless breeding program, Brno Zoo finally welcomed its first red panda cub in May. The new arrival has now been shown to zoo staff and to the public for the first time, after being hidden by its mother in a hiding place in the enclosure. Photo credit: Michal Vaňáč / Brno Zoo.
Brno, Aug 24 (BD) – The first ever red panda cub in Brno Zoo was born on May 27th. In its first months, however, the cub’s mother Oshin was very protective, and it wasn’t until recently that she began to let the cub out of its hiding place, making its public debut to both visitors and breeders.
On one of its first outings, on August 20th, after its first veterinary exam, the unnamed cub was outside in the enclosure, and showed it could climb branches and get from one shed to another. In the end, Oshin preferred to transport the cub herself, but “ there will certainly be further attempts to overcome the trees and climb the branches,” said zoo staff.
The zoo has been attempting to breed red pandas since 2013, but Oshin’s offspring is the first cub to be born. “It is almost safe to say that we have finally arrived,” said Martin Hovorka, director of Brno Zoo, welcoming the breeding program’s first success. “At first we did not have the coordinator’s permission to breed, and then when we got it and were looking forward to the increase in numbers, unfortunately the female Pandora died of an aggressive form of cancer. This was followed by the arrival of another panda and a relatively long phase of waiting. Everything was solved last September, when a female Oshin from Poland arrived at Mniší hora. After all these changes and unpleasant events, we are extremely happy that the little male is doing well so far and we firmly believe that it will continue to do well and will also make visitors happy.”
The naming of the cub will take place as part of the International Day of Red Pandas, scheduled for Saturday, September 19th. His name will be chosen by visitors and supporters of Brno Zoo. Details on the naming process will be announced at the beginning of September.
