If you’ve seen all of the cute creatures at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, Sydney Zoo and Wild Life Sydney Zoo, this might be the excuse you need to venture further afield. For the first time in two years, a super rare red panda cub has been born on Australian soil – with the teddy bear-like baby joining the family at Altina Wildlife Park in New South Wales on December 17 2023.
The small fluffy mammals – native to the Eastern Himalayas and Southwestern China – are an endangered species, with less than 10,000 creatures estimated to be roaming in the wild. Born to a nine-year-old mother Rani, the wildlife park’s new arrival is the cause for a lot of excitement among the park’s conservation community, who have said “The excitement of this achievement is an understatement!”
And though the new fur baby currently spends his days “like most babies… eating and sleeping,” the team at Altina Wildlife Park expect him to enter a more adventurous stage of life over the next few months.
“Cubs will emerge from the nest at about three months of age but stay with their mother until the next breeding season starts,” the team explained.
From mid-March onwards, visitors to Altina Wildlife Park will be in with a chance of saying hello to the adorable red baby, whose name is yet to be confirmed.