Twin pandas are very Fota-genic
A SET of twin red panda cubs are the latest addition to Fota Wildlife Park. Mum Bonnie, six, and father Pete, eight, welcomed the male cubs on June 27.
The cute cubs have just started to venture outside their nesting box. They joined other new arrivals this summer including four cheetah cubs, a female Sumatran tiger cub and three Asian lion cubs.
The red panda is an endangered species, with fewer than 2,500 left in the wild.
Lead ranger Kelly Lambe said the new arrivals are still quite shy. ‘The twins have basically spent the last two-and-a-half months eating and sleeping with their mother and are now at an age where they have just taken their first steps outside of the nesting box to see what Mum gets up to when she’s out feeding,’ he added.
Fota Wildlife Park has called on members of the public to enter a competition to name the cubs on www.fotawildlife.ie/blog. The winners will each receive a year-long conservation membership, which allows the holder to bring visitors to the park.