NEWS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact:

Barbara Russo – 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org

Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org

 

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Video Credit: © WCS

 

WCS’s Prospect Park Zoo Debuts Red Panda Cubs

WCS has successful breeding programs

at the Bronx, Central Park, and Prospect Park Zoos

 

YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/MrJYRXafjBA

B-Roll Download:

BZ Red Panda Cubs 11-03-2015_h264.mov

WCS Newsroom: http://newsroom.wcs.org/

@WCSNewsroom: https://twitter.com/WCSNewsroom 

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Nov. 23, 2015 – Two red panda cubs (Ailurus fulgens styani), one male and one female, were born at the WCS’s (Wildlife Conservation Society) Prospect Park Zoo this summer and have made their public debut. 

WCS has a successful history breeding red pandas at the Bronx, Central Park, and Prospect Park Zoos as part of the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums designed to enhance the genetic viability and demographic stability of animal populations in accredited zoos.

The red pandas at the Prospect Park Zoo are a subspecies from the eastern portion of the Himalayas. The subspecies of red panda at the Bronx Zoo and Central Park Zoo (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is found in the western part of their Himalayan range.  

Red panda cubs are born with a very soft, plush light brown coat that eventually becomes morecoarse. They reach adulthood at around 18 months. Adult red pandas have reddish-brown and black coats. They have an adaptation on their wrists that acts much like a thumb and enables them to grasp food items like bamboo as well as tree branches.

Red pandas are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss caused by deforestation for timber, fuel and agricultural use. Their population is declining. WCS works in China and Myanmar to save red pandas and other Asian wildlife. 

For more information or to speak with a WCS expert, contact Barbara Russo at 718-265-3428 or brusso@wcs.org.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. weekdays, and to 5:30 P.M. on weekends and holidays, April through October. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.


WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.

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