AssetID: 55122552
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Adorable twin red panda cubs at UK safari park are revealed to be BOTH girls – and now the public can help pick their names
Caption: Keepers at a UK safari park have confirmed their twin red panda cubs are both girls – and now they want the public’s help to name them. The fluffy sisters, born at West Midlands Safari Park on June 16 to mum Mei Lin, are just over three months old and have so far spent most of their time snuggled up in their nest boxes. But after their very first health check – which included being microchipped, photographed and examined by a vet – staff got the happy surprise that the pair are both female. Keepers have now drawn up a shortlist of four names beginning with ‘N’ – as all babies born at the Park this year will share the same initial – and are asking visitors to cast their vote on Facebook. The options are: Nadiya (meaning hope), Navina (meaning new), Nehal and Nikisha (both meaning beautiful). Head Keeper Amy Sewell said: "We’re absolutely delighted with the news, especially as every cub born here helps to safeguard this endangered species, with fewer than 10,000 left in the wild. Mei Lin has been a fantastic mum, even though this is her first time with twins. She’s been showing them around the enclosure while dad Sanka proudly keeps watch from a distance." She added: "We know how much our guests love the red pandas, so we’d love their help naming the cubs. We’re sure they’ll pick the perfect names for our girls." The arrival of the twins marks a milestone for the Safari Park, which welcomed Mei Lin in 2021 before she was joined by her mate Sanka the following year as part of a European breeding programme. The pair’s new arrivals are only Mei Lin’s second litter – and coincidentally came exactly two years to the day after her first cub was born in 2023. Red pandas are officially classed as endangered due to deforestation, habitat loss and poaching, with fewer than 10,000 thought to survive in the wild. The Park works closely with the Red Panda Network, sponsoring a forest guardian to help monitor and protect the species in their native habitat.
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