Seoul Grand Park welcomes Korea's first naturally bred red pandas

A red panda enjoys a special meal prepared by its keepers ahead of Chuseok (Korean harvest festival) at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 3, 2019. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Jul 21, 2026 1:56 PM KST

Two tiny red panda cubs are quietly growing behind the scenes at Seoul Grand Park after becoming the first red pandas to be born through natural breeding in Korea, marking a milestone for the country's endangered species conservation efforts.

The zoo said Tuesday the cubs were born at about 10 a.m. on June 19 and have remained healthy under intensive care while being kept away from public view to ensure their well-being.

“Amid the ongoing crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, we are thrilled to announce the rare birth of these endangered red pandas,” said Park Jin-soon, head of Seoul Grand Park. “We will ensure they receive the utmost care so they grow up healthy, while continuing our utmost efforts to advance species conservation and animal welfare at our zoo.”

The birth follows years of preparation by animal care staff, who said meticulous habitat design, nutrition management and behavioral monitoring made the successful breeding possible.

Native to the high-altitude forests of the Himalayas, the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is the sole living member of the family Ailuridae — genetically distinct from giant pandas and closer to raccoons and weasels. Classified as endangered due to habitat loss, these house-cat-sized, tree-dwelling mammals feed almost entirely on bamboo, using an enlarged wrist bone known as a "false thumb" to grasp shoots while relying on their bushy, ringed tails for balance and insulation in freezing temperatures.

The cubs' father, Ravi, arrived from the Calgary Zoo in Canada in 2023 through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan.

Their mother, Rian, was introduced from Tama Zoological Park in Japan under a red panda conservation agreement.

An earlier breeding attempt involving Rian and another male, Sei, was unsuccessful before caretakers paired her with Ravi the following year.

Zoo officials said keepers built modular shelters to provide the shy animals with a secure environment while reducing stress through enrichment activities tailored to the species.

They also carefully managed Rian's diet with fresh bamboo and seasonal bamboo shoots because red pandas are less likely to breed if they become overweight.

The staff closely monitored the animals to identify the female's brief fertile period, which lasts only two or three days each year, before introducing the pair.

The zoo has since implemented round-the-clock CCTV monitoring and restricted visitor access to minimize noise and disturbances during the cubs' early development.

Caregivers have also limited their own access to the enclosure while separating breeding and nursery spaces to provide the animals with a stable environment.

The cubs will remain off public display until they complete vaccinations and reach a more stable stage because young red pandas are especially vulnerable to disease.

Instead, the zoo said it will release videos documenting the cubs' growth until they are ready to meet visitors.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.