NEW RED PANDA "DAISY" NOW CALLS DENVER ZOO HOME
Visitors Can See Daisy in her Habitat Now!
There's a new red panda now calling Denver Zoo home. Daisy, a 5-year-old female recently arrived from Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, MI. She spent the holidays behind-the-scenes, but now visitors can see her exploring her new outdoor habitat.
Daisy arrived under the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) and will hopefully be paired with another male soon. Zoos participate in SSPs to ensure healthy populations and genetic diversity among animals.
Denver Zoo has been very successful at breeding red pandas and welcomed cubs from father, He-Ping, and mother, Sophia, in 2008 and 2009. These cubs and their mother moved to other zoos to support breeding efforts as recommended by the SSP. He-Ping, unfortunately, passed away late last year from old age. He was 13 years old.
"In the wild red pandas are mostly solitary, except during mating periods and raising young cubs. So Daisy will do quite well on her own. However, our hope is that we will find a suitable mate for her long term so that we can continue our conservation of this species through breeding," says Curator of Primates & Carnivores BJ Schoeberl.
Born with cream colored fur, and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, red pandas, or fire fox, are found in the Himalayas. As adults their bodies measure 20-25 inches long, with 11-19 inch tails. They have soft, dense reddish fur on the back while their legs and undersides are dark and there is some white on their face and ears. Their bushy tails have six distinctive yellowish rings. Red pandas have been classified as a relative of the giant panda and also of the raccoon but currently are considered members of their own unique family the Ailuridae.
Red pandas are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated population of less than 2,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation and hunting. Like their larger cousins, these lesser pandas eat primarily bamboo shoots. Red pandas are well adapted with their thick fur coats to live in the often low temperatures of the mountains of southeastern Asia and are quite comfortable outside during cooler days here in Denver.
