By ANNE BESTON
A family squabble at Auckland Zoo has ended happily with the birth of two red panda cubs.
Zoo spokeswoman Catherine Lucas said visitors were in for a treat when the three-week old cubs went on display in a few weeks.
"They're very cute, just gorgeous."
Their birth is proof mother Maya has settled down after a domestic flare-up last year when the arrival of prospective mate Shimla from Adelaide Zoo caused fur to fly between Maya and her daughter, Sym Garyl.
Four-year-old Maya escaped from the high-walled bushy enclosure she shared with Sym Garyl and spent eight hours on the run. She was eventually spotted in a eucalyptus tree in Motions Rd and tranquillised.
Sym Garyl was moved to a separate enclosure and since then Maya and Shimla have been "getting on like a house on fire," said Ms Lucas.
The panda cubs, not yet sexed or named, are not the first red pandas to be born at Auckland. The zoo has had some success in breeding the endangered animals in an international programme.
The cubs will probably be transferred to other zoos once they are old enough.
Cute end to red panda family squabble
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