Binder Park Zoo Announces The Birth Of A Red Panda

Binder Park Zoo, in Battle Creek, Michigan, is buzzing with excitement with the arrival of a newborn that is stealing the hearts of the staff in the zoo nursery. Zin, a red panda cub, was born on June 24th and is being hand-raised by a dedicated vet and animal care staff.

When Zin was 4 weeks old it was discovered that her mom, Binsa, was no longer able to produce enough milk due to health issues, making it necessary to place Zin into the zoo hospital nursery. The zoo is happy to announce that since then, Binsa has made a full recovery and the two will reunite in a couple of months when Zin transitions to eating solid foods.

Zin Doesn't Appear To Be Camera Shy!

Dr. Kim Thompson, staff veterinarian at Binder Park Zoo, says,

We make every effort to keep mothers and their babies together, but sometimes the medical needs of one, or both require us to make the difficult decision to remove a baby for hand-rearing.

View Zin Through The Nursery Window

To my untrained eye, the red panda looks more like an exotic raccoon than a panda bear. They are sort of lanky, with cute faces, and long striped tails. Zoo visitors can view Zin’s playful antics up close through the nursery window located on the outside of the vet hospital. It’s easy to find, right off of the walking path from the Tram depot.

A Red panda at the Cincinnati Zoo

A Local Company Donates Valuable Supplies

Thanks to a local organization, Puppywarmer, located at the Fort Custer Industrial Complex, the zoo was prepared for the arrival of Zin. The company donated a new incubator, oxygen concentrator, and other supplies. According to an article published by the Battle Creek Enquirer, it is the vision of Ken Sunden, Puppywarmer founder, to design incubators and oxygen concentrators to save newborn animals. Binder Park Zoo says the public will have the opportunity to follow Zin’s journey through regular updates on the Zoo’s social media channels.