Red Panda
The Red Panda is listed as ‘endangered’ with as few as 2500 individuals left in the wild. Only slightly larger than a house cat, the Red Panda is native to China and the Himalayas where they thrive high in treetops using their dexterous limbs and skilful acrobatics to travel. A solitary creature, the Red Panda is most active through the night.
IUCN Listing: Endangered
At risk of becoming extinct in the wild
Fact File
Native Range
From North East India to China, along the Himalayas
Natural Habitat
Forests at 2200-4800m with bamboo understory
Diet
Bamboo, fruits, mushrooms, leaves, grasses, roots and acorns
Life Expectancy
In the wild: 8 – 10 years
In zoos: Up to 14 years
Breeding
Gestation period:
134 days. 1 – 4 young.
Group Name
A Pack
Active Hours
During the night, dusk and dawn
Threats
Loss of habitat, illegal trade, hunting
Fun Fact
Red pandas have a pseudo-thumb: an enlarged, modified wrist bone they use for climbing trees and grabbing bamboo stems and tree branches.
The Welsh Mountain Zoo supports the…
Red Panda Network
The Red Panda Network is committed to the conservation of wild Red Pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities. There are as few as 2500 Red Pandas living in the wild today.
The vision of the organisation is to ensure the survival of wild Red Pandas, by conserving their habitat through the empowerment of local communities. Programmes include community-based research, education, and sustainable development.
The Red Panda Network continues to introduce these conservation programmes in countries within which the Red Panda originates including Nepal, India, China, Bhutan, and Myanmar. First launched in Nepal, the conservation programmes are designed to become locally owned and managed within five years of introduction and replicated across all other countries.
