VETS and keepers at Chester Zoo have been getting up close and personal with their cute new addition in the form of a red panda cub who is bursting with health.
For vet James Chatterton and carnivore team leader Alan Woodward it was their first opportunity to get a proper look at the red panda cub, who has been kept away from prying eyes by its doting mum.
The cub’s check-up, which included being fitted with a microchip, showed it is fit and well, weighing in at 778g. But there was further delight in store for James and Alan after they discovered that the cub is female – the first time a female red panda cub has ever been born at the zoo. Keepers are now thinking of a suitable name for the newcomer.
It is expected that the cub will become more independent from September onwards. She is the sixth cub for nine-year-old mother Lushui and father is Pali who came to the zoo from Germany.
Welcoming 1.4 million visitors a year, Chester Zoo is the largest zoo in the UK, home to 7,000 animals, 400 different species, many of which are endangered.