A RARE and adorable set of red panda twins have been born at Longleat.

It is only the second time the species, which is endangered in the wild, has bred successfully at the attraction and keepers are delighted with the pair’s progress.

Keeper Sam Allworthy said: “We’re delighted with how well Rufina is looking after the young cubs and both mother and babies are doing brilliantly.

“Cubs don’t tend to start venturing out on their own for the first three months and Rufina, like all red panda mums, regularly moves the cubs to different nesting areas.

“This is perfectly natural behaviour but makes keeping track of the babies, or even confirming what sex they are, somewhat problematic for us, although we are pretty sure both babies are female.”

Red pandas remain under threat in the wild and the species has been recently re-classified as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning populations are continuing to decline.

Like giant pandas, around two-thirds of their food intake is made up of bamboo – which is not the most nutritious of foods, so they have to eat a lot of it to survive.

As it is relatively low in calories, red pandas tend to spend much of their time either eating or sleeping.

Keepers at Longleat have been supplementing their diet with a mix of fruits, eggs and the occasional insects along with a special type of bamboo cake which the pandas are especially fond of.