Darjeeling: The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (Pnhzp,) popular as the Darjeeling Zoohas has reasons to cheer. Two Red Panda cubs were born at the conservation centre.
"Shobha, the Red Panda, gave birth to two cubs at the Tobgeydanra conservation breeding centre. The cubs have been fathered by Noel, a zoo bred Red Panda. Both the mother and her cubs are doing fine. We are keeping a close watch on them," stated Dharan Deo Rai, Director, Pnhzp.
With the two new cubs, the Red Panda population at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is now 25. The Pnhzp is the coordinating zoo for the Red Panda breeding programme (Project Red Panda) in India since the inception of the project in 1990.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park has shut its doors to visitors. The zoo has taken to social media to continue to showcase the animals virtually during the closure.
After virtual tours of the park, the Pnhzp is now sharing clips of the animals housed in the zoo on Twitter.
"We will be sharing interesting clips of our zoo animals on Twitter daily," stated the Director. The clip of snow leopard cubs playing in the zoo enclosure with a rope, uploaded in the official handle Darjeeling zoo @PnhzPark on Twitter on Thursday was an instant hit.
The Pnhzp was founded in 1958 and specializes in the captive breeding of endangered Himalayan species including Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Tibetan Wolf, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Tahr and Satyr Tragopan (crimson horned pheasant.)