After more than 6,500 votes, the Toronto Zoo’s red panda cub now has a new name: Poppy. The name “Poppy” was chosen from five floral-themed options in honour of the young cub’s late mom, “Sakura”, a geriatric 10-year-old red panda who died at the zoo in August after experiencing health issues.
Sakura arrived at the zoo earlier this year. Although she was past typical breeding age and was coming to the zoo to retire, in early June, zoo officials were surprised to discover that she had arrived in Toronto pregnant! She gave birth to two cubs — Poppy’s brother, the smaller of the two cubs, passed away in August, just shy of six weeks old. According to zoo staff, Poppy had much better fat reserves, which helped her through a short period of caloric deficit due to reduced milk production from her elderly mother.
After Sakura’s passing, the zoo team continued to focus on Poppy, and thankfully, she seems to be doing well. This is pretty remarkable considering the low survival rates of red pandas offspring (both in the wild and with human care). According to the zoo, recent studies have shown that as few as 40% of cubs reach their first birthday.
“Poppy will start exploring smaller areas of her outdoor habitat over the coming weeks, though please note that many of these areas are not visible to the public. She’ll have the choice and control to spend time indoors or outdoors as she becomes more comfortable in her new surroundings,” zoo staff stated in a recent news release.
Poppy’s health will closely be monitored. In 2015, the conservation status of red pandas was elevated to “Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation and Nature. Their population is rapidly declining (by as much as 50% in the past 20 years). Experts believe that there are now anywhere between 2,500 and 10,000 red pandas globally.
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