The first moments of life for new red panda cubs at Auckland Zoo show how well-adept their mother is at taking care of them, zookeepers say.
Two of the animals, native to the Himalayas, were born at the zoo just after 3am on January 14 with every moment captured on film in the nest box.
Carnivore team leader Lauren Booth says the zoo is cautiously optimistic, though everything is going smoothly with their well-experienced mum.
"By watching the nest box cameras we've set up, we can see they have both been suckling. We couldn't ask for a better mum in Bo."
The twins are the fifth and sixth offspring for the six-year-old and the last of 15-year-old father Sagar who was euthanised in December.
Sagar had reached well past the average lifespan of 12 years and had developed a spinal condition where no treatment could keep up his quality of life.
The cute cubs are dependent on their mother for at least three months, so it'll be a while before the public get to lay eyes on them.
While they will keep a regular watch on the cubs, zoo staff will take a hands-off approach, leaving the work to Bo.
Zookeepers expected to do a full vet check, including figuring out their sex, in late February.
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