On June 17, 2025, two puppies, a male and a female, were born. The birth of rare and endangered animals is a significant success for the international species protection program.
After three weeks they are open for the first time and after eight weeks the first health check was found by the zoological director, specialist veterinarian Dr. Reinhard Pichler. Basic vaccinations, deworming and gender determination were carried out, and the young animals were chipped. Both animals are in a very good nutritional and general condition.
Father Kaldon has lived in Herberstein since 2013, and last year he was associated with mother Kalina. The couple could often be observed in the mating game and the pairing in spring.
Red pandas are on the red list and, according to the World Natural Protection Union (IUCN), are considered to be very endangered. The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also called “small panda”, originally comes from the mountain forests of the Himalayas and is strongly threatened in wilderness by loss of habitat and poaching. The increasing tourism in these regions also contributes to further danger.
Around 10,000 of their kind live in the field, but only 2,500 of reproductive age. 420 red pandas live in European zoos. The animal world Herberstein actively participates in international conservation breeding programs (EEP), the “red panda” in the European zoos is also managed by a breeding coordinator in the Netherlands.
At the moment, the puppies are housed in a protected area far from the public. It will take a few weeks before the youngest Herbersteiner can be seen regularly. However, with a little luck you can see how the babies are carried by the mother to another nest box.
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