The 海角社区官网Zoo only discovered the red panda was pregnant a handful of weeks ago. But there, on the ultrasound while Sakura balanced on her hind legs and enjoyed sweet treats from her keeper, was proof of two cubs.
Sakura gave birth to the cubs last week, defying an often difficult reproduction process for the species and helping bolster a fledgling red panda population that has declined by an estimated 50 per cent globally in the last 20 years.
Sakura first came to the 海角社区官网Zoo in January after nearly three years at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, where she was paired with male red panda Arun. There, in 2022, Sakura gave birth to twins, but had an unsuccessful breeding season in 2023.
Once in Toronto, Sakura was housed by herself. But since she had been housed with Arun for the first few weeks of the breeding season before moving to Toronto, the zookeepers here monitored fecal samples for progesterone, a hormone that indicates the possibility of pregnancy.
In red pandas, though, progesterone levels will stay high after ovulation, regardless of whether the mother is pregnant or not. That meant the team at the zoo needed to conduct an ultrasound 鈥 which Sakura happily participated in, putting her paws up on a T-bar 鈥 and ultimately discovered she was pregnant.
鈥淩ed pandas, bears of all kinds 鈥 those are all species where by the time you detect the fetus on ultrasound, they鈥檙e pretty close to giving birth,鈥 said Gaby Mastromonaco, the zoo鈥檚 senior director of wildlife science and a reproductive biologist. 鈥淪o you have to work fast at that point.鈥
Red pandas, native to the Himalayan forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China, have been listed as vulnerable or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 1994. The species鈥 population decline is expected to continue over the next 20 years, with threats from development, logging and mining.
Adding to the concern is how difficult it is for red pandas to reproduce. Nearly half of pregnancies are lost prior to birth, according to a study from the Cincinnati Zoo, and other studies show less than half of cubs reach their first birthday, the 海角社区官网Zoo said. A three-month-old red panda at the zoo died unexpectedly in 2022.
The zoo said it has put safeguards in place to minimize risks for the cubs, but “it will be some time before their future is secure.”
Still, the birth of Sakura’s cubs is special, Mastromonaco said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 spectacular from a number of viewpoints,鈥 she said. 鈥淔rom the data that we can continue to build for the species, from the fact that we have this incredible new genetics for the species, and at the end of the day, that our team gets to experience these cubs as well.鈥
The cubs will first spend time bonding with Sakura over the next month, then veterinarians will administer vaccines to ensure the cubs don鈥檛 pick up any infections. After that process is complete, 鈥渨e鈥檒l start looking at possibilities for viewing,鈥 Mastromonaco said.
Regardless, having the cubs in 海角社区官网is an accomplishment in itself.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always amazing when these difficult-to-breed species are successful,鈥 she said. 鈥淗aving cubs, especially a female that has not been bred here by us, what a wonderful surprise. Not just for the species and for the genetics, but for the science of it all, that it worked so beautifully for her.鈥
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