Red Pandas Born At ZooMontana In Billings For Second Year In A Row

If the words "endangered species" come up in a conversation in Montana, most of the time wildlife such as the grizzly bear or the bald eagle probably come to mind. But our state is also home to unique, endangered species at ZooMontana in Billings.

via GIPHY

The facility has announced two new animal arrivals at the zoo with the birth of cubs to red pandas Pavitra and Pabu. The exciting birth is the second year that the pandas have had offspring, which is encouraging to help with the repopulation of the species.

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Cuteness Overload at ZooMontana with New Red Panda Cubs.

On July 11, 2026, the ZooMontana caretakers welcomed in two new red panda babies to the world. Now nearly a month old, the pandas are starting to open their eyes and are ready to begin exploring their surroundings.

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Red panda cubs are born with grey and white fur, but after about a month, those colors begin to turn to the distinctive red and white coloring of the species.

Getting More and More Comfortable with Surroundings at ZooMontana in Billings

For now, the new cubs are being kept in their nesting box as they continue to grow. This allows for time to develop important motor skills in the next few weeks with mom Pavitra keeping a close eye on them.

Father Pabu is being kept away from the new offspring but will be reintegrated into the family once the cubs are older. In the meantime, Pabu continues in his own enclosure next to the nesting box, but still visible from his habitat. You can learn more about ZooMontana at their website here.