Fota Wildlife Park celebrates birth of rare red panda cubs
Red Pandas or Ailurus Fulgens are endangered because of loss of habitat, hunting and poaching.
The cubs are the offspring of three-year-old mother Suzi, who arrived at Fota Wildlife Park from Berlin Zoo, and seven-year-old father Grga, who was transferred from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019.
The cubs are not yet visible to the public as, for their own development, they are being kept in a nesting box with their mother where they sleep and nurse.
The parents at Fota Wildlife Park are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), a collaborative initiative among European zoos and wildlife parks to ensure the survival of threatened species through coordinated breeding efforts.
The pandas decline in the wild is primarily due to habitat loss and poaching across its native range in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
Lead Ranger Julien Fonteneau said the births are a major boost to the park and the global breeding programme.
"We are absolutely delighted to announce the births of the two red pandas," he said.
"It has been two years since we last welcomed red panda cubs at Fota Wildlife Park. Their mother, Suzi, is a first-time mum and has taken to her new role with ease.
"She's currently being very protective, displaying typical red panda maternal behaviour by keeping the cubs secure, while diligently feeding and grooming them.
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"Being involved in the care of an endangered species is one of the most meaningful aspects of the animal care work at Fota Wildlife Park.
"We hope that the red panda births will raise awareness around species and biodiversity loss and will inspire and educate the visiting public and future generations.
"Although the cubs remain mostly hidden for now, visitors might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when Suzi occasionally moves them between nesting boxes. Over the next few months, and as they grow more confident, the cubs are expected to make brief appearances during quieter periods of the day, closely supervised by Suzi."
Fota Wildlife Park will name the cubs following a public campaign.
To be in with a chance of winning one of two conservation annual passes, name suggestions can be entered via the wildlife park's blog at www.fotawildlife.ie/blogs/news.
Red pandas are primarily herbivorous, with bamboo shoots making up the bulk of their diet.
At Fota Wildlife Park, they are fed freshly harvested bamboo grown on-site.
The sheltered and temperate climate of Fota Island provides ideal conditions for bamboo cultivation, ensuring a sustainable and nutritious food supply.
Their diet is occasionally supplemented with fruits, insects, and small animals, especially during the warmer months.
Fota has successfully expanded from 22 animal species in 1983 up to 113 species at the moment.
From a focus on animals like bison and cheetahs, the park now has tigers, lions and rhino.
In its opening year of 1983, the east Cork park had 106,000 visitors.
It is now approaching 500,000 visitors per year - and ranks as the largest visitor attraction in the south.
It is now renowned as one of the world's leading breeding sites for endangered species and has successfully helped bring back species like the European Bison from the brink of extinction.
Fota has acclaimed breeding programmes for cheetahs, giraffes, lemurs and now both lions and tigers.
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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Fota Wildlife Park reveal birth of endangered red pandas with new adorable pics as ‘first-time mum' dotes on cubs
The Wildlife Park is calling on the public to help name the new cubs SEEING RED Fota Wildlife Park reveal birth of endangered red pandas with new adorable pics as 'first-time mum' dotes on cubs FOTA Wildlife Park has announced the birth of two adorable endangered red panda cubs, who were born over nine weeks ago at the conservation centre. The cubs are the babies of three-year-old mother Suzi and seven-year-old father Grga. Advertisement 2 Two endangered red panda cubs have been born in Fota Wildlife Park Credit: Michael O'Sullivan / OSM PHOTO Suzi arrived at Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork from Berlin Zoo, while Grga was transferred from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019. Born on June 7, the cubs remain in the nesting box, sleeping and nursing with their mother, and are not yet visible to the public. In the next three weeks, they will start to explore the habitat outside their nesting box for brief periods in the early morning or late evening under the careful supervision of their mother. The red panda is listed as endangered, with its population declining in the wild. Advertisement The parents at Fota Wildlife Park are part of the European Endangered Species Programme, a collaborative initiative among European zoos and wildlife parks to ensure the survival of threatened species through coordinated breeding efforts. The species' decline in the wild is primarily due to habitat loss and poaching across its native range in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Lead Ranger Julien Fonteneau said: "We're absolutely delighted to announce the births of the two red pandas. "It's been two years since we last welcomed red panda cubs at Fota Wildlife Park. Advertisement "Their mother, Suzi, is a first-time mum and has taken to her new role with ease. She's currently being very protective, displaying typical red panda maternal behaviour by keeping the cubs secure, while diligently feeding and grooming them. "Being involved in the care of an endangered species is one of the most meaningful aspects of the animal care work at Fota Wildlife Park. We hope that the red panda births will raise awareness around species and biodiversity loss and will inspire and educate the visiting public and future generations. "Although the cubs remain mostly hidden for now, visitors might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when Suzi occasionally moves them between nesting boxes. APPEARANCES DUE "Over the next few months, and as they grow more confident, the cubs are expected to make brief appearances during quieter periods of the day, closely supervised by Suzi." Advertisement Red pandas are primarily herbivorous, with bamboo shoots making up the bulk of their diet. At Fota Wildlife Park, they are fed freshly harvested bamboo grown on-site. The sheltered and temperate climate of Fota Island provides ideal conditions for bamboo cultivation, ensuring a sustainable and nutritious food supply. Their diet is occasionally supplemented with fruits, insects, and small animals, especially during the warmer months. NAME THE CUBS Fota Wildlife Park is calling on the public to help name the new cubs, to be in with a chance of winning one of two Conservation annual passes. Advertisement Name suggestions can be entered via the wildlife park's blog at Further updates on the red panda cubs can be found on Fota Wildlife Park's social media platforms. Fota Wildlife Park is open daily from 9.30am. 2 The park is appealing for naming suggestions from the public Credit: Michael O'Sullivan / OSM PHOTO
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Two endangered red panda cubs born at Cork's Fota Wildlife Park
Two endangered red panda cubs were born in June at Cork's Fota Wildlife Park, it has been announced. Born at Fota's conservation centre, the cubs are the offspring of three-year-old mother Suzi, who arrived at Fota Wildlife Park from Berlin Zoo, and seven-year-old father Grga, who was transferred from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019. The cubs are not yet visible to the public, remaining in a nesting box where they sleep and nurse with their mother, Fota Wildlife Park said in a statement on Wednesday. Visitors might be able to catch a glimpse of them in the next three weeks as they begin to explore their surroundings under the supervision of their mother during brief periods in the early morning or late evening. READ MORE The red panda, which has reddish-brown fur, a bushy ringed tail and a bear-like body, is classified as endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. They are often poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar . The cubs' parents are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), a collaborative initiative among European zoos and wildlife parks to ensure the survival of the threatened species through coordinated breeding efforts. The park is now home to six red pandas that live in a specially designed habitat in the Asian sanctuary, where they are fed freshly harvested bamboo grown on site. Julien Fonteneau, lead ranger at Fota Wildlife Park, said the care of an endangered species is 'one of the most meaningful aspects of the animal care work at Fota Wildlife Park'. 'We hope that the red panda births will raise awareness around species and biodiversity loss and will inspire and educate the visiting public and future generations,' Mr Fonteneau said. The park is calling on the public to help name the new cubs. Suggestions can be entered here .
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Fota Wildlife Park celebrates birth of rare red panda cubs
The cubs were born at Fota Wildlife Park on June 7 - and are set to become some of the star attractions at the popular east Cork facility. Red Pandas or Ailurus Fulgens are endangered because of loss of habitat, hunting and poaching. The cubs are the offspring of three-year-old mother Suzi, who arrived at Fota Wildlife Park from Berlin Zoo, and seven-year-old father Grga, who was transferred from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia in June 2019. The cubs are not yet visible to the public as, for their own development, they are being kept in a nesting box with their mother where they sleep and nurse. The parents at Fota Wildlife Park are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), a collaborative initiative among European zoos and wildlife parks to ensure the survival of threatened species through coordinated breeding efforts. The pandas decline in the wild is primarily due to habitat loss and poaching across its native range in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Lead Ranger Julien Fonteneau said the births are a major boost to the park and the global breeding programme. "We are absolutely delighted to announce the births of the two red pandas," he said. "It has been two years since we last welcomed red panda cubs at Fota Wildlife Park. Their mother, Suzi, is a first-time mum and has taken to her new role with ease. "She's currently being very protective, displaying typical red panda maternal behaviour by keeping the cubs secure, while diligently feeding and grooming them. ADVERTISEMENT "Being involved in the care of an endangered species is one of the most meaningful aspects of the animal care work at Fota Wildlife Park. "We hope that the red panda births will raise awareness around species and biodiversity loss and will inspire and educate the visiting public and future generations. "Although the cubs remain mostly hidden for now, visitors might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when Suzi occasionally moves them between nesting boxes. Over the next few months, and as they grow more confident, the cubs are expected to make brief appearances during quieter periods of the day, closely supervised by Suzi." Fota Wildlife Park will name the cubs following a public campaign. To be in with a chance of winning one of two conservation annual passes, name suggestions can be entered via the wildlife park's blog at Red pandas are primarily herbivorous, with bamboo shoots making up the bulk of their diet. At Fota Wildlife Park, they are fed freshly harvested bamboo grown on-site. The sheltered and temperate climate of Fota Island provides ideal conditions for bamboo cultivation, ensuring a sustainable and nutritious food supply. Their diet is occasionally supplemented with fruits, insects, and small animals, especially during the warmer months. Fota has successfully expanded from 22 animal species in 1983 up to 113 species at the moment. From a focus on animals like bison and cheetahs, the park now has tigers, lions and rhino. In its opening year of 1983, the east Cork park had 106,000 visitors. It is now approaching 500,000 visitors per year - and ranks as the largest visitor attraction in the south. It is now renowned as one of the world's leading breeding sites for endangered species and has successfully helped bring back species like the European Bison from the brink of extinction. Fota has acclaimed breeding programmes for cheetahs, giraffes, lemurs and now both lions and tigers.
