Endangered red panda cub twins born at safari park

Red panda cub twins have been born at a safari park in a milestone moment for the endangered species, keepers say.

It had been suspected at West Midlands Safari Park that mum Mei Lin was having twins on 16 June, when staff heard squeaks from a nest box.

A few days later, keepers confirmed there were two cubs, when she was seen moving one to a different next box before going back to collect the second.

Amy Sewell, head keeper at the Worcestershire park, said the team was "absolutely thrilled", adding the births were "incredibly special", not just for them, but for the wider conservation of the species.

She said it is thought the wild population has less than 10,000 individuals, adding that every successful birth helped to secure a future for red pandas.

Ms Sewell said: "Although it is still early days, we look forward to sharing their journey with our visitors as they grow."

Keepers will monitor the cubs and Mei Lin from a safe distance for the next few weeks, so that she can adapt to becoming a mother-of-two.

It will not be clear whether the cubs are male or female until they are about 16 weeks old and start to venture out of the nest boxes and, at which point keepers will choose their names.

One park visitor said they had caught a glimpse of the cubs.

"Not only did we get to see the red pandas, but we also caught the first glimpses of the new cubs, which was truly magical," Mari Mascarenhas, a GP from Perth in Western Australia, said after taking her daughter to the park.

Keepers said the park had been enjoying a "baby boom" this year, with the birth of tiger cub triplets, an Indian rhino calf, lion cub triplets, barasingha fawn and blesbok calves.

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