Two red panda cubs born over the summer at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo have made their public debut.
According to a press release from the WCS, the cubs, one male and one female, are from an eastern portion of the Himalyas. They were born with a plush light coat that gets coarser as they age. Around 18 months old they are considered adult and develop reddish-brown and black coats.
These subspecies, a.k.a. Ailurus fulgens styani, are listed as “vulnerable” due to habitat loss. While their population is declining in the wild, the WCW has been successful at breeding them in the Bronx, Central Park, and Prospect Park Zoos as part of the Species Survival Plan.
Admission to the Prospect Park Zoo is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children ages 3-12. Zoo hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and until 5:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays, April through October. Hours are from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. November through March. The zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn. For more information call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.
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Photo courtesy of WCS. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher © WCS