Red panda gives birth to two healthy cubs at Toronto Zoo

TORONTO -- The Toronto Zoo says a two-year-old red panda named Ila gave birth to two healthy cubs earlier this week.

The zoo says it is the first time a red panda has been pregnant there in 24 years.

Staff first announced the panda's pregnancy in June, after noticing multiple breeding attempts between two of the animals earlier this year.

We are excited to announce that our red panda Ila gave birth to two healthy cubs in the late afternoon of Tuesday, July 14 �� .

This is the first red panda pregnancy at the Zoo since 1996, and this is the first offspring for mother Ila with father Suva. #BabyReds pic.twitter.com/TVy1oqRY3U

— The Toronto Zoo (@TheTorontoZoo) July 17, 2020

Keepers are now observing the cubs by video cameras to ensure they don't disturb them from nursing.

The zoo says it's cautiously optimistic about the cubs surviving.

Red pandas are an endangered species native to southwestern China and the eastern Himalayas, and experts estimate there are between 2,500 and 10,000 of the animals in the wild.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2020.