The Red Panda

Our nature photographer Jessica Moses has been capturing photographs of the Red Pandas at Chester Zoo

The Red Panda is a raccoon like mammal that belongs to a unique family of mammals called Ailuridae, which have no close relatives in the animal kingdom. They have reddish-brown fur from head to back and finally the tail. The bellies, legs and paws are blackish and their ears and around the nose are white. Red Pandas spend most of their time in trees and are skilled climbers. They can even climb down head-first as they have flexible ankles and unique positioning of the fibula and tibia bones in their legs.

The Red Pandas have adapted to live in the high-altitude forests of the Himalayas, where they feed mainly on bamboo and occasionally fruits, eggs, and insects. Red Pandas are solitary except during the breeding season when it’s not uncommon to see a male and female pair. Baby Red Pandas usually arrive in late spring to early summer (in the northern hemisphere) and stay with their mothers for about a year before heading out on their own.

According to the IUCN red list, Red Pandas are endangered and decreasing. Almost 50% of the Red Panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. The loss of nesting trees and bamboo is causing a decline in Red Panda populations because of deforestation. Red Pandas are often killed when they get caught in traps meant for other animals and are also poached in China and Myanmar for their distinctive pelts.