Seattle red panda fans: Get your fix before Woodland Park's cubs move to new zoos

Zeya and Ila stand with their mother Hazel on a tree branch at Woodland Park Zoo. Zeya and Ila stand with their mother Hazel on a tree branch at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Seattle red panda fans: Get your fix before Woodland Park's cubs move to new zoos 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

Less than two weeks remain for Seattleites to get their red panda cub fix at Woodland Park Zoo.

The last day to see the zoo's two 9-month-old red panda cubs in Seattle is April 14. After some time preparing for travel, twins Zeya and Ila will move to zoos where they can be introduced to males for future breeding.

"The twins are reaching the age of natural separation and are beginning to show signs of wanting to be separated from each other. To ensure their well-being, we follow their behavioral cues," Mark Myers, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo, said in a news release. "Separating them in a couple of weeks will allow us to adequately prepare them for the move to their new homes."

Where are they off to next? Zeya will go to Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Ila is moving to Toronto Zoo in Ontario, Canada as part of a conservation breeding program called the Red Panda Species Survival Plan.

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The twins' parents, Hazel and Yukiko, were also united under this plan.

"We're now trying to breed Hazel and Yukiko again, so the goal is to have more red panda cubs this year," said Myers.

Zeya and Ila's birth last year represented a milestone. It was the first successful red panda birth at Woodland Park Zoo in 29 years. When they became strong enough climbers, they were moved into the public exhibit, where they were often seen leaping between branches or sleeping in the trees.

"It's been so special having the twins here at the zoo and watching them mature," keeper Jamie Delk, who helps take care of Zeya and Ila, said in the release. "It feels like just last week they were opening their eyes for the first time—they've grown so fast!"

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Ila and Zeya have a bit of a mischievous streak. A few months ago, the twin pandas got out of their enclosure after a tree branch they were climbing on broke and fell on the wrong side of the fence. With the help of food, keepers were able to safely return them to their exhibit. One keeper was scratched and suffered a small bite during the incident.

Red pandas naturally separate from their mother at around 10 months. Ila and Zeya were born on June 19, 2018, a little over nine months ago. Their mother Hazel was 2 years old at the time, and a first-time mom. Yukiko was 13 when the cubs were born.

The species typically reaches sexual maturity around 18 months and typically breed once per year.

Producer Natalie Guevara can be contacted at natalie.guevara@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter. Find more from Natalie on her author page.