Cub on panda patrol

The cute cub is six months old, and would usually have been busily exploring long before now.

Red panda cubs do stay tucked away close to their mums for several months after birth.

But the cub’s nesting box has been just too cosy to resist during the freezing weather in December and earlier this month.

So the baby has been delaying its debut for longer than normal.

Now a milder spell of weather has finally coaxed the panda cub away from its nesting box and into the great outdoors.

The cub lives with mum Geri and dad Peter, and the panda family’s home is a large oak tree in the middle of the zoo.

Geri and Peter’s baby is quickly becoming a favourite with zoo visitors.

They can watch the cub, which was born in June, as it carefully checks out its surroundings.

The baby is now concentrating on building up its confidence and practising its climbing skills.

At Whipsnade, the red pandas eat a special high-fibre, leaf-eater diet.

They love tucking into bamboo but they also enjoy bananas and grapes.

Visitors can learn all about the new arrival and its family at the daily talk and feed session at the zoo at 11.15am.

> Red pandas, ailurus fulgens, originate from the Himalayas.

They look similar to their relatives, the raccoons.

Whipsnade says that red pandas are among endangered species, and deforestation is a major cause of their decline.