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Tiny Endangered Red Panda Cub Born at Safari Park

A rare red panda cub weighing around 150g was born on June 21 to six-year-old Mei Lin and eight-year-old Sanka at Longleat in Wiltshire during one of the hottest summers on record.
Mei Lin and Sanka were paired in 2021-2022 through the EEP , a European zoo collaboration to conserve endangered species, marking the fourth cub born at Bewdley in four years following Nadiya and Nikisha's recent departure.
Red panda cubs arrive blind and helpless, depending entirely on their mothers for survival; Mei Lin's experience with three previous offspring means keepers observe from a distance while she provides essential care.
Guests will need to wait approximately four months before seeing the cub emerge from the nest box, while keeper Samantha Peeke said it is "a privilege to help them grow up so they can join the European breeding programme."
With fewer than 2,500 red pandas estimated in the wild and threats including habitat loss, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade, every birth aids conservation efforts; Longleat partners with the Red Panda Network to protect endangered populations in their natural habitat.

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