Endangered red panda mother abandons her newborn cub, zoo says. But staff has a plan
.png "After being abandoned by its mother, the newborn red panda is being bottle fed by zoo staff.")
Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York, is celebrating the birth of an endangered red panda cub, the zoo said in a July 8 news release.
The cub’s mom, Raji, gave birth to the little one June 27.
And while things started off normal with the cub nursing as expected, something changed shortly after the birth.
“Raji unfortunately abandoned her cub,” zoo veterinarian Dr. Chris McKinney said in the release.
Seeing this happen, zoo workers stepped in and began bottle feeding the baby so it wouldn’t starve.
According to McKinney, this is not the first time a red panda mom has rejected her baby. Circumstances like this one are common at zoos and across multiple species.
Because of this, “hand-rearing” – putting an animal baby in human care – became common at zoos in the 1950s. However, the practice recently fell under scrutiny due to the animals’ subsequent difficulty reintegrating with their own species.
In some ways, Raji’s slightly delayed abandonment of her new cub leaves the little one in a better place than a lot of other deserted newborns in the animal kingdom.
“The good news is that the cub nursed initially and received colostrum from mom, which is incredibly important to survival,” McKinney said.
Colostrum is the nutrient-dense breast milk new mothers give their babies immediately after birth. According to the Cleveland Clinic, colostrum contains powerful antibodies and antioxidants instrumental in building a newborn’s immune system.
The fact that the baby panda got this before it was rejected was very lucky.
Red pandas are a small species from the Eastern Himalayas, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They are listed as endangered, making every birth – including this one – a triumph for the species.
Zoo staff is paying close attention to the newborn and feeding the baby at all hours. Zoo Director Steve Lacy wants to assure people that, thanks to this, the cub is doing quite well.
“This adorable red panda is gaining weight appropriately,” he said. “We are excited to share this great news with the public.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2024 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Endangered red panda mother abandons her newborn cub, zoo says. But staff has a plan."