Flamingo Land red panda cub birth 'hugely important' for species

The birth of a red panda cub at a North Yorkshire zoo has been hailed as "hugely important" for the conservation of the threatened species.

Flamingo Land in Kirby Misperton, Malton, shared the news on its social media channels on Thursday.

The cub, born to parents Bai Jiao and Tai Jang, was discovered by zookeepers on 30 June.

It is the venue's fourth successful red panda birth and one of just 10 born in the UK in the past year.

Zookeepers had not been able to confirm Tai Jang's pregnancy due to the secretive nature of the animal but said they had expected a birth around this time of year.

The park's latest arrival may not be visible to visitors over the next few months while it is being looked after in its nest box.

Park Executive Ross Snipp said: "All births are exciting, but even more so when a species is threatened in the wild.

"Our red panda pair have been at the zoo for 10 years and have proven to be very successful parents.

"When panda cubs are born they rely heavily on their mother and will not leave the nest box for a couple of months. During this time the keepers will keep disturbance to a minimum.

"However in the next two weeks our vet should be able to carry out a health check on the cub, check whether it is male or female and vaccinate it.

He said he hoped visitors would be able to see the cub out and about towards the end of the summer.

Despite its name, the red panda is not closely related to the giant panda.

Females can give birth to up to four cubs and look after them for about 90 days. Males usually have no involvement in raising their young.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]