Red Panda Cub At San Diego Zoo Named Ahead Of Red Panda Day

SAN DIEGO, CA — A red panda cub at the San Diego Zoo was officially named — just in time for International Red Panda Day on Saturday.

The cub was named Pavitra, which means "sacred" in Nepali. Pavitra was born June 9 to first-time parents Adira and Lucas. She was the first red panda born at the San Diego Zoo since 2006.

Over the past 50 years, the global population of red pandas has dwindled by as much as 40 percent, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation organization that operates the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The species is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Red pandas, which live in Nepal, face a a number of threats, including habitat loss and degradation related to increased human encroachment and climate change.

Also see:

• Endangered Red Panda Born At San Diego Zoo
• 2 Sumatran Tiger Cubs Born At Safari Park Ahead Of Global Tiger Day
• Meet Hutan And Puteri: Sumatran Tiger Cubs Are Named At Safari Park