Fort Wayne zoo celebrates rare birth

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) - The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is celebrating the birth of a rare red panda cub.

Only a few dozen cubs of the endangered species are born in U.S. zoos each year, and this is the first red panda cub born at the Fort Wayne zoo since it began exhibiting them in 1997.

The cub was born May 31 to first-time mother Xiao, 2, and her mate, Junjie, 3. Two cubs were born, but the other did not survive. Red pandas are difficult to breed and rear in captivity, the zoo said, and about half of all cubs die within 30 days of birth.

“We are very excited about this birth, and we’re cautiously optimistic about the cub’s future,” said zookeeper Helena Lacey, who is the red pandas’ primary caretaker. “But we know that these next few weeks are critical to the cub’s survival.”

The zoo has rerouted zoo traffic to try to minimize stress on the mother and improve the cub’s odds of survival. The pathway in front of the exhibit has been closed to zoo guests. And though contact with the pandas is extremely limited for the same reason, zoo staffers did remove the cub – which weighs just under 5 ounces at this point - for a brief exam Thursday, and reported it squealed and appeared strong and healthy.

Red panda cubs, which are born deaf and blind, remain in the nest until they are about 3 months old.

“If the cub survives, zoo guests are not likely to see the cub out in the exhibit for several weeks or months,” Lacey said.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo attracts more than 500,000 guests annually. It will be open through Oct. 14 this year. Learn more at the zoo’s website .