There’s a new arrival at Colchester Zoo, and it’s finally emerged from its nest to say hello to keepers and visitors.

The red panda enclosure is now inhabited by a third furry creature, as the unnamed female cub poked its head out of the nest box for the first time after being born in June.

Red panda’s typically take up to 18 days to open their eyes and 12 weeks to first come out of their nests, so keepers at the Essex zoo are in good spirits about its progress and expect it to make a healthy, happy panda.

A zoo spokesman said: “Mum, Liwei, was spending a lot of time in one of the nest boxes, only coming out for food, and this sparked our keeper’s curiosity - on checking the nest box they noticed a fluffy red cub hiding inside the box.

“Dad, An An, has also been checking in on mum and baby regularly and it was has now also been confirmed the cub is female during her first vet check.

“Recently our new arrival has begun to head outside with mum and we’re excited to see her exploring over the coming few weeks and months.

Red Panda’s scientific name, Ailurus fulgens, means ‘fire-coloured cat’ - but they actually share more similarities with bears and racoons.

The red panda is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is one of the top attractions at Colchester Zoo.