Red panda cub is named Willie

Say hello to Willie.

The Greenville Zoo announced Friday morning that it’s new boy red panda cub has been named William aka “Willie.” The zoo held a naming contest for the little panda, which has still not been seen in public.

Zoo officials said it will probably be late September before Willie’s mother, Colette, brings him out on exhibit.

The male cub, born June 21, is the first for parents Collette, 3, and Firecracker, 9. This is the 16th red panda cub born at the Greenville Zoo.

Collette was brought to the Greenville Zoo from the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 2013. Firecracker was born at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Ill., and came to the Greenville Zoo in 2009.

Red pandas breed and mature slowly.

The Greenville News