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The only two red pandas in Romania, who live at the Brașov Zoo, have become parents. The chicks are about eight weeks old and have passed the critical period well, and now they are developing normally. Today, August 4, they were given their first assessment, including weight, which will take place weekly in the next period.
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The two red pandas from the Zoo collection, Peggy and Benji, became the parents of two cute puppies on June 18th. Now about eight weeks old, the chicks have passed the initial critical period and are developing normally, and on Wednesday they had their first assessment, including weight. This assessment will take place weekly in the next period.
“We are very happy today (Wednesday – no) to present you these red panda chicks, a male and a female, the first red panda chicks born in captivity in Romania. By the way, the couple we have, Peggy and Benji, are the only ones in our country. We are very happy with this unique event, because this is a sign that things are going very well, the conditions are right, because this mating has taken place and we have these chicks that are healthy – you saw – one weighs 415 grams, the male , and the female 520. Things are going well from this point of view. I think we are the happiest because we practically manage to contribute to the conservation of this endangered species. Believe me, it is an extraordinary thing worldwide and we are very happy that Brasov is at this level today. About the chicks I can tell you that until the age of five months they will be breastfed, only after that they will be weaned, so they are dependent on their mother, which is why we will only be able to see them when they go out with their mother, which practically happens somewhere after two months. We have not given names yet, we will proceed exactly as in the case of the parents, we will go on proposals from the people of Brasov, after which we will submit to the vote and give them the names of the two puppies. I think I love the fact that we are actually part of the conservation of this species! It’s an extraordinary thing. I am curious where it will be decided that these puppies will go, because everything is coordinated at European level “, said the deputy mayor of Brașov, Sebastian Rusu.
The new species, a female red panda (Ailurus fulgens), Peggy, was taken into custody indefinitely from Kolsmarden Djupark, Sweden, on April 6, 2019. On July 24, 2020, the zoo collection also included a male red panda, Benji, received from Zagreb Zoo, Croatia.
“Every time I pass this pen, I remember with pleasure when I started discussions with the European Zoo Association and I told them that we would like this species. It was a bit risky, because we proposed the construction of this space when we still did not have the consent of the coordinator to host this species. There is no such copy in Romania. Every time we asked – we had many long conversations with the coordinator of the species – he greeted us with a refusal, diplomatic in fact, and he told us that if we are not full members of EAZA (European Zoo Association) they can’t give it to us, no matter how much we wanted it or how good the conditions are. But after several discussions, especially because, compared to any other zoo in Romania, we were supported by the municipality and every effort was made for us to meet all the conditions, not only for this species, but also for other species that came to Brașov, the coordinator, in the end, decided that Peggy should come to Brașov. A year later, with even greater joy, we found out from the report that the coordinator of the species gives at the beginning of the year that a male from Zagreb was assigned to us. I had actually visited the Zagreb Zoo and seen the chicks. I had seen them, and I said, “Look how nice it would be for us to have a partner.” Benji came. I said that who knows when, after how long, they will mate or I don’t know, and I had another great joy when I was announced by my colleagues that we have puppies “, explained Alin Pânzaru, the director of the Brașov Zoo.
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