Surviving Red Panda Cub at Toronto Zoo gets named 'Poppy'

This is a still from the video of a Red Panda cub at the Toronto Zoo who has been named "poppy" after the name got 6,500 votes. (Toronto Zoo)

An endangered red panda cub who is among the only surviving members of its family at the Toronto Zoo has a new name.

The cub will officially be called “Poppy” after the name received 6,500 votes from members of the zoo community, beating out four other options.

Poppy and her sibling were born on June 13, 2024, to Sakura, a 10-year-old female red panda at the Toronto Zoo.

Unfortunately, her sibling died in August after being incubated in the intensive care unit, the Toronto Zoo said. The staff at the zoo had hoped to watch Sakura raise both her cubs.

Sakura then passed away a few weeks later after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The name ‘Poppy’ was chosen from a group of five floral-themed names in honour of Sakura, which is the Japanese word for flowering cherry blossom trees.

The cub had previously been given the nickname “Biggie.”

Poppy will now venture into her outdoor habitat over the coming weeks, according to the Toronto Zoo.

Officials say that she decide where she wants to spend time as she gets comfortable with her new surroundings.

In April 2015, the conservation status of red pandas was changed to Endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN).

The species is declining by as much as 50 per cent in the past 20 years, according to the Toronto Zoo.