Red Panda

Now almost seven months old, 'Pemba' is doing exceptionally well and is the size of a young healthy male adult Red Panda.

Pemba shares his lush outdoor exhibit with is mother, 'Wanmei' weher he enjoys bamboo and fruit feeds, although grapes and pear remain his favourite.

Pemba is an exceptionally curious youngster. He is constantly interested in what his dedicated keepers are up to, so much so that his keepers had to stop raking his exhibit the other day as he was constantly chewing, sniffing and checking out the cleaning implement with much interest.

The Red Pandas at Taronga Zoo are part of an international breeding program for this endangered species, and including the new arrival, 44 cubs have been born at the Zoo since the program started in 1977.

Taronga has the best breeding record in the southern hemisphere for Red Pandas and is the Stud Book Coordinator for the region, making recommendations as to which individuals can be paired for mating to increase genetic diversity and introduce new bloodlines into the insurance populations for this captivating species.

The colossal effect of urbanisation and clearing of land for agriculture and timber production means Zoo breeding of these animals is vitally important to provide an insurance population against a complete collapse in the wild.

Red Pandas which range across the Himalayan mountains and foothills of northern India, China, Nepal, Indian and Bhutan are listed as endangered. It is uncertain how many remain in the wild today, but estimates suggest it may be as low 2500 individuals. They are threatened by illegal hunting and deforestation of their natural habitat. Remaining populations are fast becoming fragmented and isolated from each other.