Oklahoma City Zoo has a number of conservation projects and does its part to help raise awareness and funding to help many endangered animals, including the red panda. This past Saturday was International Red Panda Day and OKC Zoo, which houses two red pandas, helped shine light on the species’ dire situation.
“Red pandas are a one-of-a-kind, unique species, one of their own. Not related to bears or raccoons like many believe,” said Ambre Cook, with the Oklahoma City Zoo. “They are unique. There are less than 10,000 of them in the wild, and they are rapidly declining.”
About Red Pandas
The black-and-white behemoth that bears its name dwarfs the red panda in popularity. Red pandas grow to be about the size of a house cat, but their long, bushy tails add another 18 inches to their length. In the cold temperatures, red pandas utilize their ringed tails as wraparound blankets.
The red panda shares the wet, high-altitude forest habitat of the giant panda, but has a larger range. Red pandas may be found in Nepal’s highlands, northern Myanmar (Burma), and central China.
These creatures live in trees for most of their life and even sleep in them. They are most active foraging at night, as well as during the hours between twilight and dawn.
Red pandas consume a variety of things, including fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs, but unlike their bigger cousins, they also eat fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs. They have an elongated wrist bone, similar to giant pandas, that acts much like a thumb and significantly helps their grip.
There are a few organizations that are raising money to help preserve red pandas and if you’d like to contribute, please visit one of the links below.
