Edmonton zoo debuts endangered red panda cubs Fred and George
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2024 (655 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
EDMONTON – Two red panda cubs named after twin wizards in the “Harry Potter” series have made their debut at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
Fred and George waddled out of their nest and entered their new home behind a glass display for the first time on Friday afternoon.
They were seen sniffing with their black snouts, licking and climbing a tree at the centre of the display, chewing on bamboo and approaching photographers near the glass.
Laura Castor, an animal care supervisor with the zoo, said first-time mom Kiki gave birth about four months ago and the cubs have already proven to be quite similar to their namesakes: the red-headed Weasley twins in the novels by J.K. Rowling.
They’re “quite adventurous and mischievous,” Castor said in an interview.
They are also named after the twins because of the red fur covering their body. The tips of their ears are white and they have black legs.
Castor said red pandas are an endangered species, with fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild, including near the foothills of the Himalaya mountain range in India, Nepal and China.
“So zoos play a really important role in helping to preserve and encourage the genetic diversity of the species through managed breeding programs,” Castor said.
She added Fred and George are “very important individuals who will help contribute to the survival of their species.”
She said the cubs’ introduction to their new environment was timely on Friday, as Edmonton saw its first significant snowfall of the season — similar weather to what they would encounter in the wild.
She said red pandas were discovered in 1825, years before black-and-white pandas.
“They have such a unique collection of physical attributes and evolutionary history.”
For example, she said, they have the hips of a bear, physical markings of a raccoon and canretract their claws like a feline.
She said Fred and George can grow up to 10 kilograms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2024.
