the toronto zoo

New photos of the Toronto Zoo's baby red panda are so cute it hurts

It's been just over a month since the Toronto Zoo welcomed a brand new baby red panda into the world, and photos posted by the zoo today of the new cub feeding, sleeping and yawning are simply too cute to handle. 

The cub was born on July 14 to two-year-old mother Ila, and it also had a sibling. Tragically, the other cub passed away on July 22

The remaining red panda baby, thankfully, appears to be strong, healthy, and as adorable as ever.

The zoo announced today that the little cub now weighs almost 500 grams (which is just over one pound) and that she's currently feeding six times a day. 

They said each feeding is now at 16 millilitres, and that she'll transition to being fed just five times a day starting Saturday. 

Just two days ago, the zoo also posted a series of photos showing that her little eyes had begun to open. 

They also shared several videos of the fluffy creature sleeping, yawning and just being her adorable little self. 

On Aug. 13, the zoo shared an update on Twitter explaining that the cub is slightly small for her age, but that she is growing quickly and "continues to pass developmental milestones."

"Ila continues to be a great mom and is very tolerant of our Keeper team hand-feeding the cub," they wrote. "Given the cub's small size, we are still in a critical period, but as the cub gains weight and strength we remain optimistic."

Here's hoping the cub continues to grow and stay healthy, and that the zoo keeps on gracing our social feeds with adorable photos of the baby red panda all the while. 

Lead photo by

The Toronto Zoo


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