EVER WANTED TO name a baby panda? Well, now is your chance.

Fota Wildlife Park in Cork has announced the arrival of some new (and cute) additions.

Two endangered red panda cubs, one male and one female, were born on 14 June to mother Laxmi and father Grga after three months of nesting.

Laxmi arrived at Fota from Longleat Safari in England in 2019, while father Grga came from Zagreb Zoo in Croatia the same year.

Fota participates in the Ex-situ Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) for red pandas.

The birth of the twins is significant as red pandas face threats in the wild with only 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals estimated to survive in their native habitats.

Red pandas come from the Himalayas and southwest China and are their own distinct family, with no relation to giant pandas (which are larger with a distinct black and white coat).

Red pandas are instead closer in relation to raccoons or coatimundis.

The three-month-old cubs have become comfortable in their surroundings, with the team at Fota noting they are increasingly playful and active.

The twins tend to be more active at dusk Michael O'Sullivan Michael O'Sullivan

“They have spent these early months sleeping, resting and feeding, with their mother Laxmi taking excellent care of them. At the moment, the cubs are not generally out during the day, but they have been venturing out at dusk when the Wildlife Park is closed”, lead ranger John Leahy said.

“They may still be quite small, but they already look like fully formed little red pandas. It is fantastic to see them developing so well. Laxmi is a very experienced mother, has a very calm temperament which lends well to her having relaxed cubs. Grga, meanwhile, is no stranger to fatherhood”, he added.

The mild climate in Cork provides strong conditions for growing bamboo, a staple of the panda’s diet.

The pandas join a succession of births the past few months at Fota Wildlife Park, including Asian lion cubs, Sumatran tiger cubs and Indian rhino calves.

To celebrate International Red Panda Day on Saturday, 19 September, Fota is inviting visitors to help choose names in keeping with the species’ native range and cultural heritage.

A suggestion box is now open in the Serengeti Shop at Fota, where visitors can submit their name ideas for the twins and be in with a chance to win one of two Conservation annual passes.

The naming competition will run until 11 October.