20 September 2016
Cute little panda cubs have been born at Parken Zoo in Eskilstuna. They are the first in many years at the zoo and the first ever for the breeding pair Zidane and Pralin.
It was on the morning of 28 June this year that the little cubs were found in one of the pandas' houses. - "We were very happy that our new breeding pair works so well together that they have already had cubs in the first year they are together," says Julia, a zookeeper who works with the pandas at Parken Zoo. The park has historically been very successful in breeding the species, but this particular breeding pair has never had cubs before.
The red panda is highly threatened due to deforestation and hunting, and its numbers have declined by 50 % in the last three generations. They are found in places such as Nepal, China and India, where they live in trees and mostly eat bamboo. They even have a modified wrist bone that acts like a thumb, making it easier for them to grip the bamboo. Their beautiful red fur has contributed to their Latin name, which translated into Swedish means fire-coloured cat. Despite their name, they are not felines, but you can still see a certain resemblance.
The cubs, named Wilmer and Wilma after the Park's new Red Panda character Wilma, have so far been in their nesting boxes, nursed and cared for by their mum Pralin but walking with their dad and the other female Nïna. -They have already started to peek out of their nesting box and we hope that in the near future they will start to explore the world a little more so that Park visitors can experience these incredibly cute little cubs.