Red Panda

Two red panda cubs, Waveland (female) and Sheffield (male), are new additions to Lincoln Park Zoo’s red panda family—and a unique family at that. Raccoon-like in appearance, but sharing genetic similarities with bears, the red panda is classified in a taxonomic family of its own. Born June 24, the cubs have spent the past few months in their nest box behind the scenes and now, independent and curious, have started navigating their outside yard.

The cubs were named with a nod to the Chicago Cubs and are the second set in two years for Lincoln Park Zoo’s breeding pair Leafa (dam) and Phoenix (sire), thanks to a breeding recommendation from the Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP), which cooperatively manages the endangered population at zoos throughout the Assocation of Zoos and Aquariums.

Red pandas are an arboreal species found in the wild throughout the Himalayan mountain range, so guests looking for a glimpse of this family at Kovler Lion House should look up!