On 13 June, red pandas Hazel and Itsuki welcomed two cubs to Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tenn. This birth marks Hazel’s third time having cubs; however, this is this pair’s first offspring together. Hazel is proving to be an excellent mother. She has been very attentive and is providing constant care to her cubs. She spends all her time in her nest box nursing, grooming, and sleeping with the two new additions.

Hazel and the cubs are currently being monitored remotely by animal care staff. A physical exam of the cubs will take place in the upcoming weeks. Though not yet visible to the public, Hazel and her cubs are currently on exhibit. The cubs will likely remain in the nest box for two to three months before they start exploring the rest of their habitat, where the public can see them.

Hazel and Itsuki were recommended to breed as part of the Red Panda Species Survival Plan®. Although the Memphis Zoo has two subspecies of red pandas on the grounds—one in Cat Country (fulgens) and one in CHINA (refulgens)—there has not had a red panda birth since June 2015. These cubs are the first of the refulgens subspecies to be born at the Memphis Zoo. The refulgens subspecies is naturally found in China and has a darker face and more distinguished rings on their tails than the fulgens.

Photo Credit: © Memphis Zoo