‘Miracle’ red panda cub gets its first health check

By Leo Black via SWNS

Meet Little Red, a rare red panda cub that has given hope to animal lovers everywhere and could be the future of the critically endangered species.

Little Red was born to mother Tilly and father Nam Pang, in a bittersweet event that came just a month after its dad's passing.

The zoo had been waiting to ascertain its sex before naming the cute bundle of fluff.

But the little fur ball was so fidgety that the delicate procedure was impossible, so vets opted for Little Red.

This was the first time a vet had visited Little Red with the express purpose of fitting the little one with a microchip - and to check its sex.

The zoo revealed Little Red is in good health and, aside from a severe fidget problem, the health check went down without a hitch.

Nam Pang's passing was a tragic blow to the zoo, which had been trying to breed the pair for four years, as part of the European Ex Situ Breeding Program.

The program is an initiative where endangered species are bred in captivity in order to ensure the continuation of the species.

But on June 16, just a month after Nam Pang's passing, the zoo's CCTV cameras captured a very furry addition to the Red Panda enclosure.

The Zoo has hailed the birth as a miracle.

"This cub has become a symbol of hope, after the tragic passing of Nam Pang," said operations coordinator Aaron Whitnall.

Nam Pang, who died from Addison's disease, which is a hormonal imbalance, failed to reproduce with Tilly until then, despite the pair being together for four years.

The zoo said, that although the first six months of a red panda's life are the most critical, Little Red is in good health and boisterous, but still being monitored.

The population of red pandas has decreased dramatically over the last 20 years, with the WWF stating there are currently less than 10,000 left in the wild.

This drop is associated with climate change, their illegal capture as pets and a dramatic reduction in their habitat.