Zoo staff elated by shy arrival

The red panda cub's gender is still to be determined. The other cub from the December 9 litter died shortly after birth. Photo / Supplied

A shy red panda cub is keeping Hamilton Zoo staff on tenterhooks as it refuses to come out of its nest.

The red panda, who still does not have a name and whose gender is not yet known, was one of two cubs born at Hamilton Zoo on December 9 to first-time parents, 4-year-old Tayla and 9-year-old father Chito.

The second cub, the smaller of the two, died shortly after birth.

Hamilton Zoo director Stephen Standley said the red panda cubs were the first of the species to be born at the zoo, and staff were keen to see the surviving cub emerge from its nest.

"Because we have never had red panda cubs born at Hamilton Zoo before, we were all very excited to learn of the cubs' birth prior to Christmas," said Mr Standley.

"Since then Tayla had been caring for her young babies in the privacy of their nest and we had been waiting patiently to see them venture outside.

"We were all saddened by news that one of the cubs had died. However, the surviving cub is doing well and we are looking forward to it making its first public appearance in a few weeks' time."

Red pandas are found throughout the Himalayan ranges, in Western China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and India.

They live in the same habitat as the giant panda, with both species having evolved to almost exclusively eat bamboo leaves and occasionally fruit, small animals, eggs and roots.

The red panda is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with its numbers thought to be fewer than 10,000 and decreasing through deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

Its pelt has cultural significance in China where poaching for its fur is a major problem.

Last week the cub weighed in at 686g, up nearly 300g from its previous weigh-in on January 17.

Mr Standley said red pandas were one of the few species with a global captive-breeding programme, which Hamilton Zoo is part of.

The programme had resulted in some animals being released into the wild.

"We are pleased to be able to contribute to the survival of the species with this breeding opportunity," he said.

Chito and Tayla were the only red pandas to live at Hamilton Zoo before the cub's birth. Chito has been at the zoo since August 2006 and Tayla since October 2010.

Did you know?

The scientific name for red pandas is Ailurus fulgens, which means 'fire-coloured cat', although the species are not cats.

They are a striking reddish-brown colour with white facial markings and a striped tail which they use to balance when moving in the trees.