Drayton Manor Park Zoo have welcomed a pair of eleven month old red pandas to their 15 acre wildlife haven, set in the heart of Staffordshire. The new arrivals, named Tika and Pema, can now be seen nestled in the trees feasting on bamboo.
As small as a fox, red pandas have a bear like body with thick auburn fur, black bellies and limbs, with white marking on the side of their heads. Also known as the ‘original panda’, having been discovered fifty years before their black and white cousin the giant panda, red pandas are very skilful and acrobatic animals making them a joy to watch.
The red panda is native to the Eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, but is now listed as endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries.
Zoo Manager and Drayton Manor Park’s conservation and animal welfare expert, Chris Mitchell said: “We’re delighted to welcome the pandas here at the zoo. The population of the red panda is declining in the Eastern Himalayas, which makes up for 50% of their habitat, so conservation is increasingly important. They join a number of rare and endangered animals at Drayton Manor Zoo including Obie the baby tapir, and Kit and Leo, twin cotton-top tamarins.”
Drayton Manor Zoo Park is actively involved in a number of conservation projects both locally and internationally and also provides educational workshops for children, plus research opportunities and work experience for students.
To book tickets, or for more information about Drayton Manor, visit www.draytonmanor.co.uk or call 0844 472 1950.
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