Calgary Zoo baby red pandas venture out from their den

You just might get a glimpse of the two rare red baby pandas born earlier this year at the Calgary Zoo now that they'restarting to step out of the comfort of their den.

Watch the two nameless baby red pandas explore in the snow

8 years ago

Duration 0:42

You just might get a glimpse of the two rare red baby pandas born earlier this year at the Calgary Zoo now that they're starting to step out of the comfort of their den.

The male cubs, born June 21, 2016 to mom Sakura and dad, Dusk, have been hunkered down in their cosy den, but arestarting to gain some confidence and leave their mother's side.

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"The cubs have been very bonded with their mom which has been excellent to see," says MattKorhonen, a Calgary Zoo spokesperson."We're so pleased that our husbandry practicescombined with a strong female like Sakura has allowed us to be successful with our conservationefforts with this endangered species."

There are only 53 red pandas of their subspecies in the North American captive population and their three-month birthday marks the species population increase by four per cent.

The red panda is listed as endangered on the International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. There are fewer than 10,000 red pandas in the wild and their numbers are dwindling due to habitat loss.

As adorable as the pandas are, they still don't have names. The Calgary Zoo wants help from the public to name the two cubs through an online contest. It launches after Thanksgiving. For more information visit www.calgaryzoo.com.

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