It takes two baby!

Good things come in pairs and that’s certainly the case for Fota Wildlife Park who has unveiled twin baby red panda cubs.

The duo were born on 13 June to mother Bonnie, who is nine years old, and father Grga, aged two. The two female cubs have only just started to venture out of their nest box in their habitat in the Asian Sanctuary at Fota.

Lead Ranger Julien Fonteneau said about the births: “We’re delighted to be able to announce the births of the twin cubs, the red panda is definitely one of the favourite species with the public. These births give us the opportunity to highlight the conversation work that we do, such as our financial support for the Red Panda Forest Guardian Project in Nepal which is a citizen program that is dedicated to conserving the red pandas in their natural habitat in Nepal.

“These births also provide us with the opportunity to educate the public and visitors about Fota Wildlife Park’s participation in the international breeding programmes for the many species that are endangered or threatened in the wild. The weather has been lovely and mild recently so after their first few months of just sleeping and feeding they are now starting to emerge from their nesting box, which is visible to the public in the red panda habitat,” he concluded.

The wildlife park is asking the public to help name the cubs and be in with a chance of winning one of two year-long conservation passes.

To enter go to the website blog at fotawildlife.ie/blog, fill out the form and the rangers will announce the names and the winners in mid-October.