RED PANDA
Ailurus fulgens

Our two red pandas, Jody and Babu, arrived from Edinburgh Zoo on the 6th of February and are now in their new enclosure next to the Visitor Centre.

Red pandas are native to the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar and southern China. The name "panda" comes from the Nepalese word "nigalya panya", literally "bamboo eater".

They are one-of-a-kind in the animal world and are not related to giant pandas (which are part of the bear family), but are distantly related to the raccoon family. They have no close living relatives, with their nearest ancestors living 3-4 million years ago.

Red pandas are endangered, with the major threat being destruction by man of the forested mountainous areas (between 1800m - 5000m) where they live. Although they are protected in all the countries where they are found, they are still hunted illegally for their fur and in particular their long bushy tail which is highly prized as a good luck charm for Chinese newlyweds.

Red pandas are excellent climbers and use their claws to grip branches. They are active mostly at dawn and dusk and, as their diet of predominantly bamboo is low in nutrition, they sleep for most of the day in the trees to conserve energy. They have a "false thumb" like the giant panda, which is actually an extension of a wrist bone which enables them to grip bamboo.

They also eat berries, fruit, roots, shoots and occassionally small rodents. Their thick fur coat protects them from the cold and their short, bear-like feet have thick soles which provide good insulation against snow or ice.