An Endangered red panda cub born at Bristol Zoo Project is preparing to venture out of its nest box for the first time, as keepers reveal it’s a girl!

The female was born on 26 June, to first-time parents Neora and Laya. She has now received her first veterinary health check and is said to be healthy and feeding well, weighing in at 780g – around the same as a large loaf of bread.

Until now, the cub has been looked after by mum Laya in one of three nest boxes in our red panda habitat. As she is almost two months old, she is expected to emerge from the nest box at any time, to start exploring the outside world for herself.

Nigel Simpson, Head of Zoo Animals at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “We are all thrilled to see Neora and Laya’s new cub thriving. As a first-time mum, Laya has done a fantastic job of caring for her cub and ensuring it is safe, fed and well.

“This is a huge conservation win for this Endangered species. The wild population is thought to be as low as 2,500 individuals, threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Laya and Neora arrived at Bristol Zoo Project in 2024 as part of EAZA’s critical breeding programme to help protect the species, which we are a part of. So, the cub’s arrival is very special indeed.

“As you can imagine, everyone is on tenterhooks waiting to see the baby emerge for the first time. Some lucky visitors have captured a glimpse of her when Laya has moved her between nest boxes, as she would do in the wild. Soon the cub will be exploring her new home on her own, though she’ll still rely heavily on mum for the next few months, and will then start to wean from around six months old.”

Now vets have determined the cub is a girl, we're asking for the public’s help to name her! Keepers have shortlisted three names, which reflect our global conservation work, and a public poll will open on Friday morning (22 August), on our Facebook page. The names are:

• Asha – which means ‘hope’ in Nepali/Sanskrit

• Banita – meaning ‘cherished’ in Nepali/Sanskrit

• Malika – a popular girl's name used in the Himalayan regions, meaning ‘flower bud’ in Nepali

Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China. They spend most of the day resting in trees, conserving their energy, and are usually solitary creatures, though come together in pairs during the breeding season.

Laya is named after a town and a valley in Bhutan in Asia, where red pandas are found in the wild. Neora is named after Neora Valley National Park where animals from the red panda GSMP (Global Species Management Programme), which our red pandas are part of, are being introduced back into the wild to increase the wild population numbers.

Photography by Keeper Nat.