Abby Connolly
Fans and employees of the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan are thrilled after the arrival of a sweet, endangered red panda cub!
On July 21st, one of their resident red pandas, Maliha, gave birth. According to an announcement from the zoo’s blog, this is Maliha’s second successful pregnancy with the father, Deagan-Reid.
The zoo’s website mentions that Maliha was born at Fort Worth Children’s Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, before moving to Potter Park Zoo. Deagan-Reid was born in 2011 at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and arrived at Potter Park in early 2021.
The blog post writes that the little cub and is currently being monitored daily by animal care staff. The pandas are watched via a camera mounted in their nest box so they can continue to rest.
In the coming weeks, the cub will be getting routine wellness checks so that the zoo staff can track its development.
“Maliha is doing great; she’s an experienced mother and has been excellent with the newborn,” said Annie Marcum, a carnivore area lead keeper, in an interview with blogger Heath Thurman.
“The cub is actively nursing and growing at a healthy rate.”
Not only is this a wonderful triumph for the zoo, but for wildlife conservation in general. According to the zoo’s blog, Maliha and Deagan-Reid were specifically paired together by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums red panda Survival Species Program. The program pairs animals together based on “maintaining genetic diversity.”
Potter Park Zoo; pictured above is the cub
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