One of the Oregon Zoo’s newest residents, a baby red panda, got its first veterinary checkup Monday, revealing that the tiny critter is a male.
The yet-to-be-named cub was born June 18 and has been nestled up with its mother, 4-year-old Mei Mei, in the privacy of a maternity den ever since, as zoo staff have taken a hands-off approach with the new mom.
“As her cub grows, Mei Mei has been spending more time outside and away from the den box,” Amy Cutting, a curator at the zoo who oversees the zoo’s red panda area, said in a statement. When Mei Mei ventured out Monday, vets took the opportunity to check out the young panda.
Medical staff did a complete checkup and confirmed the gender of the cub, who weighs about 2.5 pounds.
“Mei Mei has been a terrific mom so far, and her boy appears to be in great health,” Cutting said, adding that it will likely be a while before the public gets a chance to see the cub. “We’ll still be taking a mostly hands-off approach, and let the cub gradually get used to our care staff. It will be another month or so before he ventures out of the den box on his own.”
Mei Mei and Moshu, the cub’s father, also produced two cubs while at the Nashville Zoo in 2017. The pair came to the Oregon Zoo in 2019 on the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for the species, which is considered endangered because of habitat loss and poaching.
“Fifty years ago, red pandas had healthy populations throughout the eastern Himalayas,” Cutting said. “But they’ve been disappearing at alarming rates. Hopefully, we can start a new chapter in the conservation of a species that is sharply declining in the wild.”
