Red panda pair settle into new pad

24/04/2017 in Edinburgh Zoo

RZSS Edinburgh Zoo’s resident red pandas have moved in together thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

After arriving at the Zoo on Valentine’s Day, the red pandas were placed in separate enclosures to allow them to settle and are now together in their permanent enclosure at the front of the site.

Alison MacLean, Head Carnivore Keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo said:

“We are incredibly grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for the additional £25,000 funding in 2016. It allowed us to create the new enclosure that Ginger and Bruce are now sharing.

“They have settled in well and are getting on great. We are really pleased to see them taking advantage of the new space and exploring it. The support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery has helped us bring this pair together and provide a great enclosure for them. The new couple will help play a vital role in the conservation of this increasingly threatened species.”

Red pandas are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and their global population, which is estimated to be lower than 10,000 individuals, is declining as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as poaching and accidental trapping. Conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) makes annual species support payments to the Red Panda Endangered Species Programme  through the Forest Guardian Support Programme, which protects red pandas in their native habitats in the wild. 

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You can find images of Bruce and Ginger enjoying their enrichment at the following link : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rvhcc8crytc6i89/AACHnIn7ECiFuiDurs_qUKQma?dl=0

About the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

• The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie, the Society was set up in 1909 ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’. The Society still exists to connect people with nature and safeguard species from extinction.
• Please visit here for information on all our conservation projects.
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and RZSS Highland Wildlife Park are owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), a registered charity, charity no SC004064.
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is set in 82 acres of sloping parkland, just a stone’s throw away from Edinburgh’s bustling city centre. In its 104-year history the Zoo has been home to many famous animal residents, more recently the UK’s only giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, and the UK’s only koalas.
• RZSS Highland Wildlife Park specialises in Scottish species, past and present, and other cold weather adapted animals from around the world.
• The Park, which covers over 200 acres and is located within the Cairngorms National Park, is home to two male polar bears and the only female polar bear in the UK.
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and RZSS Highland Wildlife Park are members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

 

For further information, please contact 0131 314 0383 or comms@rzss.org.uk