AUSTRALIA: Twin Red Panda cubs make first appearance at a Sydney zoo

Endangered twin Red Panda cubs make a debut at a Sydney zoo, the latest to be born in a successful international breeding programme. Zookeepers proudly held twin Red Panda cubs in their first public appearance at a Sydney zoo on Wednesday (March 28). The cubs are the latest to be born as part of an international breeding programme at Taronga Zoo to ensure the survival of the endangered species. The two male cubs, named 'Jishnu' (meaning bright and triumphant) and 'Tenzin', (after the famous Nepalese Mountain climber Tenzin Norgay), are 12 weeks old. The zookeepers weighed the cubs, until Jishnu tried to climb his way off the scales. A worker at the zoo, Bobby-Jo, said she felt privileged to be able to look after the cubs. "They're just brilliant, they're beautiful. It's amazing to be able to hold an endangered animal in my hands knowing that we've just contributed to the world population," she said. The cubs' parents, Wanmei and Mayhem, seemed less interested than the zoo visitors, as they continued to indulge in their morning snooze. Red Pandas are found across the Himalayan mountains and foothills of northern India, China, Nepal and Bhutan. It is believed their numbers there are as little as 2,500 that exist, and 43 cubs have been born as part of the breeding programme at Taronga zoo since 1977.

ITN Source | March 30, 2007

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