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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Dutch house cat adopts rejected red panda

(AP Photo/ Artis Zoo)A newborn Red panda from Artis Zoo in Amsterdam gets a special adoptive mother. After the cub was rejected by her mother, a domestic cat owned by one of the keepers took over the task of caring for the young panda. The cat now suckles the Red panda, in addition to its own four kittens. Within the European breeding programme, this is the first time that a Red panda has been suckled by a cat. Under the circumstances, the young panda is doing well. The animal constantly receives the greatest care, both from her keepers and from her adoptive mother, who lovingly treats the Red panda cub as one of her own. The baby panda was one of two cubs born to the Red panda female Gladys and her mate Werner. One cub unfortunately did not survive the first crucial days. This cub was already in a weakened condition when the two young pandas were first placed with the cat.
The Red panda, also known as the Lesser panda, lives in the bamboo forests of the Himalayas, as does its larger cousin the Giant panda. Pandas are an endangered species.
See live footage here (wmv-file) or here (YouTube)!

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous11/7/08 01:46

    What a cool story! I love cats.

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  2. Oh dearest Tink darling you did post about the cool Dutch kitty didn't you! Bravo bravo!
    I hope your mommy feels better real soon...mine is not feeling in the pink right now either.
    Soft hugs to you and thank you for your nice visit...I have missed you:)
    Love Miss Peach

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  3. That's really sweet !!

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  4. Anonymous12/7/08 00:54

    I saw that picture today and read the story. Stuff like that just warms my heart!

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  5. Ah … so sweet. How fortunate for the Red panda ;--)
    Hugs and blessings,

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  6. What a wonderful story. I loved the video. Thanks. It made my day.

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  7. Anonymous12/7/08 16:27

    I love stories like this! It proves that mammals have an innate ability to nurture.

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  8. Anonymous14/7/08 01:02

    What a sweet story - thanks for sharing - shows that is it hope in the world after all.

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  9. Oh what a beautiful picture and story. I love it. Thank you. You started my day with joy!

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  10. Anonymous16/7/08 10:00

    ooo that's so cute..

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  11. What an interesting story that shows how wonderful cats can be! I think Red Pandas are so cute. We have some at the Cleveland Zoo and it was the first animal that I adopted! Their ears and faces are just so cute I wish I could pet one!

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  12. What a sweet story - I love red pandas!
    greetings, Petra

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Love, Tink