See pictures of this adorable red panda cub

This rare red panda cub is having an an all-important health check at Chester Zoo.

The male cub is one of the twins born at the zoo on June 27 but keepers have only now been able to get a good look at them for the first time.

(Chester Zoo)

Keepers say they were alerted to their arrival after hearing little squeaks from the nest box. A boy and a girl had been born to first-time mum Nima and dad Jung. The twins haven’t been named yet.

Maxine Bradley, one of the keepers, said: “Our two cubs are in very good shape. They’re big and strong with very thick fur – our male weighed in at just under 1kg and our female 842g.”

(Chester Zoo)

“We’re really pleased with how well they’re doing. It’ll be several weeks until they start to emerge [from their nest] and explore.”

Red pandas, whose scientific name Ailurus fulgens means “brilliant cat”, are native to the steep forested slopes of the Himalayas, China’s Yunnan province and Nepal. They are a one-of-a-kind in the animal kingdom as they have no close living relatives.

The male red panda cub (Chester Zoo)

They’re endangered in the wild, threatened by poaching and a shrinking bamboo forest habitat.

They’re hunted for their prized red fur which in parts of the world is used to make hats for newly-weds. They believe it symbolises a happy marriage.

The twins’ mum Nima (Chester Zoo)