National Zoo's Red Panda Cubs Get a Helping Hand

See the video at the bottom of this post.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo went into overdrive earlier this year to help save two Red Panda cubs, Henry and Tink, the zoo details in a new video released this week. In all, 10 cubs were born at the zoo this year, with seven surviving.

Zoo employees raised cub Henry “from Day 1.” He had stopped breathing and was on oxygen for a month after he was born and later survived a bout of pneumonia. The pandas were also bottle-fed by Smithsonian employees, including Ken Lang, supervising biologist.

The two cubs Henry and Tink have become close, playing and exploring together. “Their relationship is a real joy to watch,” Lang said.

Today, Henry “looks good, I never thought he would make it this far,” Copper Aitken-Palmer, chief veterinarian, says in the video.

“We don’t know that much about them [red pandas]. They live in pretty mountainous areas in the Himalayas,” she said. Zoo scientists are working to preserve and understand red pandas. The species is listed as vulnerable primarily because of habitat loss. Red pandas live in the cool, temperate bamboo forests in parts of China, Nepal and northern Myanmar. There are fewer than 10,000 adult red pandas left in the wild.

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In addition to Henry’s problems breathing and surviving pneumonia, the Smithsonian reports that Tink was cared for by her mother for a short time, but she was not growing. Keepers determined that her mother was not producing enough milk. The National Zoo’s staff swung into action and removed Tink from her mother’s care.

“We don’t like to hand rear, it’s a last resort,” Lang said. Sounding like a new parent, Lang notes:“We’re closing in on a thousand feedings. It’s exhausting work.” Three months after his birth, Henry’s weight has increased tenfold.

And Tink is gaining weight and growing just as she should.

“Both Henry and Tink really enjoy playing with each other,” Lang said. “They’ll probably be together for about another six months and then they’ll be sent to different zoos. Separating them will probably be harder on us than on them. They’ll probably be fine. ....Tink and Henry might be reunited again someday.”

Until then, Henry and Tink are furry friends, playing and exploring together, thanks to their surrogate parents at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Want to help red pandas? The National Zoo is currently raising funds to build a red panda retreat.