The Santa Barbara Zoo welcomed a set of twins into the world on Thursday, July 2.
Ruby and Raj, the zoo’s pair of endangered red pandas, are the first-time parents of two tiny cubs — the first red pandas born at the zoo since 1993.
Ruby will be snuggled up with her babies in their behind-the-scenes nest box for approximately three months while staff monitor their growth, development, and wellbeing. Zoo veterinary and animal care teams are “cautiously optimistic about their progress,” the zoo said in a press release Wednesday morning. While the cubs do appear healthy, they are especially vulnerable in their first weeks of life.
“Ruby is being an attentive first-time mother, and everything we’re seeing so far is encouraging,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, vice president of animal care & health at the Santa Barbara Zoo. “That said, the first several weeks of life are the most critical period for red panda cubs, so our team is keeping a close but hands-off watch to give Ruby the space she needs to bond with and care for them. It’s a big moment for our program, and we’re taking it one day at a time.”
Red pandas are small, reddish-brown arboreal mammals with white ears and bushy, ringed tails native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
Don’t let the name fool you, though. They are not related to giant pandas, and are actually closely linked to raccoons.
Due to factors such as climate change and human disturbances, they are highly endangered, with fewer than 10,000 mature individuals estimated to remain in the wild, according to the zoo.
The zoo has a right to be cautious about the new cubs. Successful reproduction is particularly challenging for red pandas. They have just one breeding season each year, with a very limited window for conception, according to the zoo. Litters are usually quite small, ranging from only one to four cubs, with twins being the most common.
Their gestation period typically spans four months, and cubs are born completely blind and dependent upon their mother, remaining in her care for up to a year.
Raj and Ruby — who came to the zoo in 2023 and 2025, respectively — are some of the zoo’s most beloved residents. Raj, whose arrival was highly anticipated, marked the first red panda to come into the zoo’s care in several years.
The zoo described four-year-old Raj as curious and confident and two-year-old Ruby as attentive, playful, and observant. They were paired through the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) population management program for the explicit purpose of breeding, helping ensure diverse and healthy populations of red pandas in human care while supporting broader protection efforts for the species.
Their cubs do not have names yet — but they are being celebrated all the same.
“The birth of these red panda cubs is an extraordinary milestone for the Santa Barbara Zoo and a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through collaborative conservation,” said Charles Hopper, president & CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo.
“Welcoming red panda cubs for the first time in more than 30 years is a remarkable accomplishment made possible by the exceptional dedication, expertise, and patience of our Animal Care & Health team,” Hopper said.
“As an AZA-accredited zoo participating in the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, we are proud to contribute to a global network of conservation organizations working together to ensure the long-term survival of this endangered species. These cubs represent more than a joyful new addition to our zoo family; they symbolize the meaningful role the Santa Barbara Zoo plays in wildlife conservation at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Their birth also inspires our community to become active partners in protecting the natural world for generations to come.”
While Ruby and the cubs will remain behind the scenes as they continue to grow, Raj is out and about in his habitat. Additional updates, including opportunities for guests to view the cubs, will be shared as they grow.
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