Prospect Park Zoo Welcomes 2 Red Panda Cubs
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If you've got a case of the Mondays, we've got the perfect cure.
The Wildlife Conservation Society has released pictures and video of the newest additions to the Prospect Park Zoo: two red panda cubs!
The two cuties were born at the Brooklyn zoo over the summer and have officially made their public debut.
"They spent four months basically indoors growing and getting bigger," facility director Denise McClean told 1010 WINS. "Now they're learning how to climb trees up and down, they're learning to eat solid food so you might see them experimenting with bamboo or their crunchy treats, and just in general getting used to the big outdoors."
The cubs' names are Bo and Mae-Mae.
"Bo means precious and Mae-Mae means little sister," McClean said.
The WCS said it works in China and Myanmar to save red pandas, and has been breeding the animals at the Bronx, Central Park, and Prospect Park zoos as part of its Species Survival Plan program.
The red panda population is declining due to habitat loss caused by deforestation for timber, fuel, and agricultural use, according to the WCS.
The Prospect Park Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3.