A red panda recently relocated to Staffordshire’s Peak Wildlife and is settling in “really well”.
On Friday (19 July), Esha the red panda left her former home at Paignton Zoo in Devon and moved into her specially-made enclosure at Peak Wildlife Park in Leek.
The three-year-old panda has a sister who still lives in Devon. Once Esha has settled in, her sister Riya will join her.
The director of the park, James Butler, stated: “She seems to love the massive enclosure we’ve built especially for her and her sister.”
Red pandas are an endangered species. According to the Red Panda Network, there are thought to be under 10,000 left and only 2,500 in the wild. The breed is also considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Red pandas are native to southern China and the eastern Himalayas. Poaching and the loss of natural habitats in these regions have led to a decline in red panda population numbers.
Peak Wildlife creates purpose built enclosures for each of its animals. Each enclosure is made as close to the animal’s natural habitat as possible in terms of temperature and flora.
In other news, a rare maneless zebra was born at the park last month.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
