A pair of red panda cubs born in a wildlife sanctuary in Cornwall, England, have gotten their first taste of fame.
A photo released last week shows one of the cubs stepping out with mom.
Rusty and Scarlett were born to mother, Jai-Li, at Cornwall's Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary on June 27. They left their den for the first time on Aug. 26, for a veterinary check. Cameras were there to greet them.
"We have one boy and one girl and both are fit and healthy. This was their first trip outside the den, so lots of excitement for them," curator David Woolcock said in a statement.
The sanctuary asked the public to suggest names for the cubs before deciding on Rusty (the male cub) and Scarlet (the female) last week.
National Geographic points out that the tree-dwelling cousin of the giant panda is generally shy except when mating, and wraps its ringed tail around its body for warmth.
Although they're seriously cute, red pandas -- also known as firefoxes -- face serious threats in the wild from deforestation in its native southern China, and wildlife trading.
Recent data suggests that there may be as few as 2,500 adult red pandas in the wild, according to the Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary website. The existing population is expected to experience additional declines of 10 percent every 10 years.
Head over to the sanctuary's website to catch up with the red panda cubs via live streaming webcam.
