Three Red Panda Cubs born at Fota have been named

Ahead of International Red Panda Day this Saturday, September 16^th, the Red Panda cub names have been revealed.

Following a public naming contest the three Red panda cubs, who were born in Fota Wildlife Park earlier this year have been named. Born the 9^th of June, the three have spent most of the past couple months in their nesting box in the Asian Sanctuary, but have lately been venturing out more, the best times to spot the cubs at the moment is early in the morning.

The three names for the three cubs, one male and two females, are Bernie, Amber, and Hazel. The name Bernie was chosen after recently departed former Ranger, Bernard McKiernan, who was a beloved member of the animal care team here at the Wildlife Park and was known for his love of animals.

With multiple entries of these names, our congratulations to our chosen winners, Conor Murphy, Aisling Fitzsimons, and Grace Burke.

The fulgens subspecies of the Red panda is critically endangered, it is thought that there may be as few as 2,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Recent estimates suggest that there has been a 50% decrease in numbers over the last 20 years alone.

The three Red panda cubs were born to mother Laxmi aged 5 and father Grga aged 5. The successful birth of the cubs at Fota highlights the importance of Fota Wildlife Park’s participation in the international breeding programme for many species that are endangered or threatened in the wild. 

You can join us to celebrate International Red Panda Day at Fota Wildlife Park this weekend, with daily feeding times for the adult Red Pandas at 4pm in the Asian Sanctuary and lots of Red Panda facts and videos across our social channels for the weekend.

Photographs by Darragh Kane