Red panda
Ailurus fulgens
The red panda is, despite its name, a closer relative of the racoon than the giant panda. Like the giant panda, the red panda’s favourite food is bamboo, but it eats a lot of other foods too, such as bird eggs, roots, berries and insects..
Red pandas have a reddish-brown fur and live in Central Asia on the lower slopes of the Himalayas. They prefer remote bamboo forests at high altitudes. The red panda is a skilled climber and likes to nap curled up on the fork of a branch. The female gives birth to her cubs in a nest in a tree hollow, from which the cubs only climb out after a few months. Each red panda’s mask pattern is unique.
Conservation
Red pandas are rare and are classified as endangered. Logging and the expansion of grazing land reduce the suitable habitats available to red pandas and may prevent them from moving to new areas. Protected areas have been established for red pandas, but the species is best protected by the remoteness and difficult accessibility of their habitats.
The Korkeasaari Zoo Foundation has an ongoing project supporting the conservation of the species in the wild in cooperation with Red Panda Network. You can also help by making a donation!
This species and the individuals living in Korkeasaari Zoo are part of an ex-situ conservation programme by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria EAZA, known as the EEP. The aim of the EEP is to maintain a healthy zoo population of the species, and to make reintroductions to the wild possible in the future. The EEP of this species is coordinated by Korkeasaari Zoo.
Cat Valley
EAZA Ex-situ Programme
Endangerment
Distribution
Habitat
Diet
Size
Lifespan
8-10 years
Scientific classification
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ailuridae