Red Panda cub born at Milwaukee County Zoo

MILWAUKEE — In the last month, the Milwaukee County Zoo has welcomed a new giraffe, 11 new goats, a new harbor seal, and now a Red Panda cub!

On Thursday, the zoo announced a female Red Panda was born on June 12 to mom, Dr. Erin, and dad, Dash. This is the third cub for mom and dad.

The zoo said the cub is part of the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, which helps maintain genetic diversity within Red Panda populations at zoos.

Baby animals at the zoo:

• 11 Nigerian dwarf goats born at Milwaukee County Zoo named after musical performers
• New Harbor Seal pup born at Milwaukee County Zoo
• 'Spunky and strong': New baby giraffe born at Milwaukee County Zoo

The cub, which has not been named yet, was weighed when she was 24 hours old. Her weight was 144 grams. By the second day following her birth, she weighed 199 grams.

According to the zoo, Dr. Erin and her cub are spending most of their time together in a nesting box, where they will remain for the next two to three months.

The zoo's website says Red Pandas are attentive mothers both in the wild and in a zoo setting. That's why they keep their cubs hidden away for the first couple months of life.

The cub will rely on her mom for milk for the first 13-22 weeks of life. At about 4-6 months old, she will begin to wean off of mom's milk and be introduced to solid food, softened in water.

Then, she will learn to climb!

You can identify a Red Panda by its reddish-brown color, white face markings, and the black around its ears and legs.

According to the zoo, Red Panda cubs begin to get those colors around 50 days old, which works as camouflage in natural surroundings. When born, the cub is more of a gray color.

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