Red panda cubs were born at the Santa Barbara Zoo for the first time since 1993, marking a milestone in the zoo’s conservation efforts. 

The twin cubs were born on July 2 to first-time red panda parents Ruby and Raj. 

“These cubs represent more than a joyful new addition to our Zoo family,” said Charles Hopper, the president of the Santa Barbara Zoo, in a Wednesday press release. “They symbolize the meaningful role the Santa Barbara Zoo plays in wildlife conservation at the local, regional, national, and international levels.”

The twin red panda cubs are pictured. The Santa Barbara Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ population management program, which coordinates breeding recommendations for zoos to ensure vulnerable species are healthy. (Courtesy of the Santa Barbara Zoo)

As a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Santa Barbara Zoo participates in its population management program, the Species Survival Plan. The program coordinates breeding recommendations for accredited zoos to ensure vulnerable species are healthy and genetically diverse. 

Red pandas, recognized as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are the only living members of their own ancestral family. They are native to the Eastern Himalayas. 

Santa Barbara Zoo staff feed a red panda. There could be as few as 2,500 red pandas remaining in the world. (Courtesy of the Santa Barbara Zoo)

There could be as few as 2,500 red pandas remaining in the world, according to the Red Panda Network. The global population of red pandas has declined by 50% over the last two decades.

The Zoo’s animal care teams are carefully monitoring Ruby and the twin cubs, who appear to be healthy. The newborn red pandas will remain outside of their habitat until they are three months old, but visitors will be able to view Raj in his habitat.

Raj and Ruby stand on a stone. Female red pandas only have one breeding window each year. (Courtesy of the Santa Barbara Zoo)

“Ruby is being an attentive first-time mother, and everything we’re seeing so far is encouraging,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the Zoo’s vice president of animal care and health, in the press release. “It’s a big moment for our program, and we’re taking it one day at a time.”

It is particularly difficult for red pandas to reproduce because of their biological nature, with female red pandas only having one breeding window each year.

A red panda sits on a branch. The Santa Barbara Zoo also reopened the Richard Block Conservation Hub in late June. (Courtesy of the Santa Barbara Zoo)

The birth of the twin red pandas comes after the Santa Barbara Zoo reopened the Richard Block Conservation Hub in late June, which focuses on rehabilitating endangered species including the western snowy plover and southern sea otters.

Amanda Velasco is a Sara Miller McCune News-Press Summer Fellow and rising junior at UCLA, majoring in Public Affairs. She is the current News editor and was previously the Features and Student Life editor for UCLA’s student publication, The Daily Bruin.