But at Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire, the birth of a truly endangered red box has always been celebrated as a ‘symbol of hope’. The mother, Tilly, gave birth to the cub, named Little Red, on July 16 in a moment captured on CCTV at the zoo. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Tilly, who gave birth to Little Red at the wildlife park in Hertfordshire. Photo: Rob Everett/PA It took four years for Tilly to become pregnant and it is considered a bittersweet moment after her breeding partner Nam Pang died of Addison’s disease a month before the cub was born. Interest in red pandas increased this year with the release of Disney Pixar’s Turning Red, in which Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student, transforms into a giant red panda when she experiences any strong emotion due to an inherited curse. The Hertfordshire red pandas have won fans from all over the world, who have sent messages of support for Tilly. Red pandas are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, with fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild. They are highly threatened due to factors such as deforestation and the illegal pet trade. Tilly and Nam Pang were placed together through the European Ex-Situ Breeding Programme, which aims to create a safety net for endangered species in the wild. Aaron Whitnall, the zoo’s operations co-ordinator, said the cub had become “a symbol of hope, after Nam Pang’s tragic death, that his memory and legacy is more than we ever expected”. He added: “The birth of Little Red creates a beautiful ending to a tragic, heartbreaking story that shocked the community in June.” Keepers are not yet able to determine Little Red’s gender, but hope to do so around six months.
