The Birmingham Zoo family has grown by two – two heart-stealing, bushy-tailed red panda cubs, to be exact.

A pair of male red panda cubs were born on May 31 to first-time parents Gizmo and Kodo, the zoo announced Saturday.

The twins are doing well, zoo officials said, but will not be visible to guests for a few months while Kodo cares for them.

Kodo came to the Birmingham Zoo in the spring of 2022 from the Buttonwood Park Zoo in Massachusetts. She joined Gizmo, a male red panda who arrived in 2020 from the Sacramento Zoo.

The pair started mating in 2022 and Kodo became pregnant earlier this year.

“This success with our red pandas is the culmination of coordinated efforts from our entire zoo team over the past few years, starting with Gizmo’s arrival in 2020,″ Scott Kayser, zoological manager of predators, said in a news release. “While Kodo is a first-time mother, she has been a natural since day one, and both cubs are doing well. We are all beyond excited for our new additions and look forward to sharing them with everyone!”

Approximately 2,500 red pandas currently live in the wild, according to the zoo. They are native to native to Asia, in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Researchers estimate that the total population of red pandas, now labeled an endangered species, has declined by 40 percent over the past two decades.

Gizmo and Kodo were recommended to breed as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Red Panda Species Survival Plan, which aims to support and grow the population.

In accordance with AZA standards, animals are often given choice on where they want to spend time after birth. Gizmo opted to give Kodo her space to care for the cubs, so he’s been moved to a behind-the-scenes area in the zoo and will remain separate during this adjustment period.

A team is monitoring Kodo and her cubs 24/7, and a neonatal exam determined Kodo and the cubs are in good health.

“Birmingham Zoo is passionate about educating our guests on the importance of conserving red pandas and other endangered species found around the world,” Chris Pfefferkorn, Birmingham Zoo president and CEO, said in a news release. “We are proud to continue our strong commitment to the AZA SSP, for the sustainability of red pandas.”

The Birmingham Zoo will provide updates on the health and development of its new “zoo babies” throughout the season. The zoo did not say if the pandas have been named.