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Denver Zoo welcomes month-old red panda cubs

It will be a bit before the tiny cub brothers can join their father on display

John Wenzel, The Denver Post arts and entertainment reporter,  in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
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The Denver Zoo on Friday revealed that a pair of male red Panda cubs were born Aug. 27, but that the boys are still too young to debut to the public.

The brothers — who have not been named yet — are the second litter for parents Faith and Hamlet. They’re currently spending time behind the scenes bonding with Faith in a nest box, according to a press statement from the zoo, where they’re growing fast.

Because they only weigh just more than a pound at this point, they won’t be visible to the public for another few weeks, when the zoo says they’ll be more developed and ready to join their father in the zoo’s red panda enclosure.

Veterinarians are closely watching the cubs and regularly checking their weight, temperature and overall wellness, the zoo said, following some supplemental feedings they received in their first days of life. But their keepers say they’re thriving — as evidenced by how feisty they are when they wrestle with each other.

Mother Faith was born in 2014 at the Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School in Millbrook, N.Y., while Hamlet was born in July 2013 at Lee Richardson Zoo in Kansas. The parents first came to the Denver Zoo in 2015 under a breeding recommendation from the the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan — Faith from Trevor Zoo, and Hamlet from the Toronto Zoo — and their first litter (Lali and Masu) .

As part of that same survival plan, Lali moved to Scovill Zoo in Illinois and Masu moved to Norfolk Zoo in Virginia in April, which makes the two new cubs an especially welcome addition.

Red pandas are native to Asia and are most commonly found in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China, the zoo said. The animals are known for their red and off-white markings, large puffy tails and pointed ears. Like giant pandas, they require specialized diets and eat large amounts of bamboo each day.

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