Sharjah 24 – AFP: Two red panda cubs were born in an Indian zoo, to an adult female red panda named Shobha and a male red panda named Noel. The cubs were born as part of a conservation breeding programme to increase the population of the endangered animal, says the director of the zoo in north east India where the cubs were born.

With habitats under threat in the Eastern Himalayas and China, red pandas are considered endangered and highly vulnerable to infectious diseases. But their copper fur, cute appearance and small size also make them easy candidates for the exotic pet trade.