What’s better than two Red Pandas? Two more! Erie Zoo scores double game points in the battle against the extinction of the exotic species.

In his words, Mitchel said “We wanted to make sure they were like a month old, they were still doing fine and still gaining weight.” He has been really positive about the state of their health, and we can only look forward to more updates concerning the little ones. 

Red Pandas are a critically endangered species, meaning Pumori, 5, is one of very few male red pandas and he is an invaluable asset, not just to the zoo, but to the animal world in general. His pairing with 7 year old Delilah has just proven to be a success, and the zoo believes they are vital in their Red Panda Species Survival Plan. 

Mitchell claims that the two adult red pandas did not bond at first contact- no surprise there. According to him, Delilah, who was introduced to the zoo in November, showed some resistance and put up some walls- his words described her reaction as “Standoffish.” “Delilah was a little standoffish at first. In the wild they would be solitary. They would generally only get together to breed and then they would separate and she would have the cubs.” So basically, her initial reaction was expected, and although it took some time to bond, they finally pulled it off. 

It was never a competition, but surprisingly, the birth of the red panda cubs comes just weeks after Columbus Zoo celebrated the birth of their own two little red panda cubs on June 13. The Ohio-based zoo had been raising 7-year old Gen Tso, and 2-year old Kora for that particular moment, and achieving that was a major win for them and the red pandas. 

According to the Columbus Zoo on Facebook, Kora and Gen Tso are first-time parents, and they’ve been doing great at bonding together. 

Stories like this warm the heart, and they are proof that endangered species have a lot to give- that they are worth fighting for and they need all the help they can get.