Zoo Knoxville is celebrating the birth of two male red panda cubs. Image by Zoo Knoxville

KNOXVILLE - Zoo Knoxville is celebrating the birth of two male red panda cubs born June 7 to mother Sisu (SEE-soo) and father Doofah (DOO-fuh). The healthy cubs are the second litter for the pair and another important milestone for the zoo's red panda breeding program.

The zoo has now welcomed cubs in back-to-back years, an encouraging sign for the future of the endangered specie s under human care.

Animal care staff have been closely monitoring the cubs since birth through routine health checks and regular weigh-ins while allowing Sisu to raise her young with as little human interaction as possible.

"After 16 years working with red pandas, it still never gets old welcoming new cubs into the world," said Laura Smyth, Red Panda Keeper at Zoo Knoxville. "Watching Sisu successfully raise her own cubs is one of the most rewarding experiences we have as animal care professionals."

The first few months of a red panda cub's life are also the most delicate. While Zoo Knoxville's animal care team closely monitors the cubs' health and development, choosing to allow a mother to raise her own offspring naturally always involves some level of risk. The zoo's philosophy is to intervene only when medically necessary, giving Sisu the opportunity to care for her cubs while ensuring they continue to develop as expected.

So far, both cubs are healthy, steadily gaining weight, and meeting their developmental milestones.

Like all red panda cubs, the newborns are spending their first weeks tucked safely inside a nest box. They are expected to begin exploring their indoor nursery around mid-August. As they become more active, guests will be able to watch them on a monitor in the Boyd Family Red Panda Village, which features a live camera feed from inside the nursery. This allows guests to follow the cubs' development even before they begin exploring their outdoor habitat.

If their development continues as expected, Sisu will likely begin introducing the cubs to the outdoor habitat in early September. As with all red panda mothers, she will determine when her cubs are ready to make that first trip outside.

Zoo Knoxville has long been recognized as a leader in red panda conservation and breeding. Since 1978, more than 115 red panda cubs have been born at the zoo through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan (SSP).

The SSP is a cooperative conservation program that manages healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened species in accredited zoos across North America. By carefully recommending breeding pairs based on genetics and demographics, the program helps ensure endangered species maintain sustainable populations in human care while supporting the long-term survival of species facing threats in the wild.

Zoo Knoxville plays a leading role in that effort. Sarah Glass, Curator of Red Pandas and Wild Ambassadors, serves as the Red Panda SSP Coordinator, overseeing breeding recommendations and helping manage the North American population of red pandas across AZA-accredited zoos.

Red pandas are classified as endangered due to habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and poaching throughout their native range in the Eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Healthy, genetically diverse populations in accredited zoos serve as an important conservation safeguard while supporting research, education, and future conservation efforts.

Zoo Knoxville will continue to share updates as the cubs grow and develop. Follow Zoo Knoxville on social media for updates to the cubs' journey and learn more about our work with red pandas at zooknoxville.org.