Red Panda Cubs

Zoo Knoxville is celebrating the birth of two male red panda cubs born June 7 to mother Sisu (SEE-soo) and father Doofah (DOO-fuh). The healthy cubs are the second litter for the pair and another important milestone for the zoo's red panda breeding program.

Animal care staff have been closely monitoring the cubs since birth through routine health checks and regular weigh-ins while allowing Sisu to raise her young with as little human interaction as possible.

The first few months of a red panda cub's life are also the most delicate. While Zoo Knoxville's animal care team closely monitors the cubs' health and development, choosing to allow a mother to raise her own offspring naturally always involves some level of risk. The zoo's philosophy is to intervene only when medically necessary, giving Sisu the opportunity to care for her cubs while ensuring they continue to develop as expected.

Like all red panda cubs, the newborns are spending their first weeks tucked safely inside a nest box. They are expected to begin exploring their indoor nursery around the 60-day mark. As they become more active, guests will be able to watch them on a monitor in the Boyd Family Red Panda Village, which features a live camera feed from inside the nursery. This allows guests to follow the cubs' development even before they begin exploring their outdoor habitat.

Zoo Knoxville has long been recognized as a leader in red panda conservation and breeding. Since 1978, more than 115 red panda cubs have been born at the zoo through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan (SSP).