Toronto Zoo welcomes another endangered red panda cub

The Toronto Zoo announced the birth of another endangered red panda cub on Thursday.

The Zoo said the cub was born on July 13 at 4:11 p.m. and is the third red panda birth in over 25 years.

Born to red panda parents four-year-old mom Paprika and father Suva, zoo staff said the cub weighs “a very healthy” 221 g.

“We are so excited to welcome this baby red panda to the Toronto Zoo family,” said Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf DeJong. “Red pandas are an endangered species due to illegal hunting and habitat loss, so contributing to sustaining their managed populations in AZA-accredited zoos is not only a success for your Zoo, but also helps to educate our guests about the conservation efforts of this extraordinary species.”

The Zoo also said that mom is comfortable enough to leave the nest box for short periods of time, allowing staff to quickly assess the cub’s health. Staff also determined the cub is a male.

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“Paprika was very calm when she was momentarily separated from him, taking the chance to stretch out and groom herself before returning to the nest box to bathe and attend to her cub,” the Zoo said in a news release.

No name has been selected yet for the cub.

The Zoo said Paprika and the cub will not be available to the public at this time due to how young the cub is but that an announcement will be made when they can make their debut.