Red Panda Born at the National Zoo

(National Zoo) It was love at first sight for Shama and Tate, the Zoo's red pandas, and now, nearly a year and a half after they were introduced, the pair has a cub as evidence of their strong bond. On June 16, Shama gave birth to a single cub—the first for both of the Zoo’s red pandas and the first red panda cub born at the Zoo's D.C. campus in 15 years.
Three-year-old Tate came to the Zoo from the Nashville Zoo in February 2009 to breed with two-year-old Shama as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ red panda Species Survival Plan, which manages breeding in order to maintain a genetically diverse zoo population. Continued