Brooklyn cutest new residents made their public debut this week.
The Prospect Park Zoo’s two new male red panda cubs are finally old enough to strut their stuff in the public eye – and they don’t disappoint.
Julie Larsen Maher, Prospect Park Zoo
The rouge tinted raccoons – which are not related to giant pandas – were born over the summer in their indoor den, where they were cared for by their mother, Willow, until they were ready to venture outside.
Now they’re making themselves at home in the red panda habitat – climbing up trees, frolicking across their enclosure and munching on Bamboo leaves, the rascals.
The Styan red panda, which is closely related to Brooklyn’s ubiquitous masked bandits, the North American raccoon, is a subspecies from the eastern portion of the Himalayas. The Styan’s panda is slightly larger and redder than other pandas – and in this reporter’s opinion, much cuter.
Check out Brooklyn’s newest procyonids at the Prospect Park Zoo [450 Flatbush Ave. near Empire Boulevard in Prospect Park, (718) 399-7339, prospectparkzoo.com] Open 10 am – 4:40 pm. Adults, $9.95; children under 13, $6.95; seniors over 65, $7.95. Free for kids under 2.
