BOISE - A red panda cub, the first ever born at Zoo Boise, has started to venture out of her den for public viewings.

Zoo Boise's red panda cub is one of only 12 surviving cubs born in the United States in 2008.

Red panda cubs do not leave their dens for the first few months of their lives. Aside from quick checks on the cub, zoo staff has left the two red panda parents to raise their cub in peace, said Steve Burns, Zoo director.

Red pandas live high in the mountains of China and are highly endangered - numbering between 5,000 - 6,000 in the wild. While red pandas eat bamboo as the main part of their diet, they also eat insects, bird eggs and fruit.

The panda birth (born July 3) is significant for Zoo Boise because her parents, Grace and Tiki, were matched up as part of the red panda Species Survival Plan, zoo officials say.

The cub is scheduled to move to the Erie Zoo in Erie, Penn., sometime this spring.

Boise Zoo officials are holding a contest to name the cub.

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