Double Trouble! Twin Red Panda Cubs are Confirmed as Girls

We are pleased to announce that the twin red panda cubs born in June, are both girls and now we need your help to name them.

Now at just over three-months-old, the cubs have had their first health check, where they were microchipped, had ID photos taken and their sex was confirmed.

The twin cubs were born on 16 June 2025, to mum, Mei Lin and have spent the first few months of their lives, snuggled up in their nest boxes with Mum.

Now their sex has been confirmed, keepers have picked four names for the girls, leaving the deciding vote to the public, by voting on the Park’s Facebook page.

Head Keeper of the Discovery Trail, Amy Sewell, said, “Now that our red panda cubs are a little older, we’ve carried out their first health checks. During this, both cubs were microchipped, given a full examination by our vet – and we discovered that we have not one, but two girl cubs!

“We’re absolutely delighted with the news, especially as every cub born here helps to safeguard this endangered species, with fewer than 10,000 left in the wild. Mei Lin has been a fantastic mum, and although this is her first time raising twins, she’s done brilliantly. She’s even started to show them around, and it’s been wonderful to watch the three of them exploring together, while dad Sanka proudly keeps a watchful eye from a distance."

She continued, “We know how popular the red pandas are with our guests, so we would love their help naming them. We have four names to choose from, all beginning with ‘N’ as all animals born at the Park in 2025 have names beginning with this letter. The names are: Nadiya (meaning hope), Navina (meaning new), Nehal and Nikisha (both meaning beautiful). To cast their vote, guests can head over to our Facebook page and react to our red panda cub post. We know they will choose the best names for the twins!”

The birth of the adorable twins was a milestone moment for the Park, as red pandas are listed as ‘endangered’, so the birth of twins is great news for European breeding efforts, to help conserve the species.

Mei Lin arrived here in August 2021 and was joined by male, Sanka, in March 2022, as part of an EEP (Eaza Ex-Situ Programme), which is a collaboration between European zoos to conserve endangered species.

The twin cubs mark a historic first for us and are only the second litter for five-year-old Mei Lin, arriving exactly two years to the day after she welcomed her first cub in 2023.

Red pandas are sadly listed as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), due to threats from human activities, such as the loss, degradation and fragmentation of their habitat.

Reports of smuggling live red pandas for the illegal wildlife trade is on the rise as well as poaching and hunting.

We support the Red Panda Network (RPN) which is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.

As part of this commitment, we sponsor a forest guardian, who helps monitor and protect wild red pandas and their habitats.

Guests can see the cubs, along with Mei Lin and Sanka, at Red Panda Retreat, located in the Safari Walk area of the Park, which is included in the admission price.