The last red panda news out of the National Zoo was of the sad variety. Shama, a seven-year-old mother to three new cubs, died unexpectedly.

But now we have some happier news to pass on. According to the Zoo, five cubs born this year are all doing well.

Five cubs, born to Regan, Low Mei and Shama, are being hand-reared by keepers. They are bottle-fed three times a day, and have received their first solid foods. Keepers are offering them bamboo and soaked apple biscuits. So far, the cubs mostly just gnaw on the bamboo and lick the biscuits.

The cubs are becoming more mobile, and keepers are starting to see some play behaviors from them.