Red Panda

Red Panda

"The red panda is dwarfed by the black-and-white giant that shares its name. These pandas typically grow to the size of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an additional 18 inches (46 centimeters). The pandas use their ringed tails as wraparound blankets in the chilly mountain heights. The red panda shares the giant panda's rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Re…  (read more)

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24 Nov 2009

1 favorite

411 visits

In the nick of time

The three Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo are constantly on the run, and getting a decent photo is usually just a matter of luck, LOL! Hard to believe this was taken outdoors. I know I've cut off the ear to get it into a square crop : ) Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, everyone! "The Red Panda, also called the Firefox, Fire Cat, Lesser Panda, or Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation... Red Pandas are classified as Vulnerable. .... In southwest China the Red Panda is hunted for its fur and especially for its highly-valued bushy tail from which hats are produced. In the areas of China where the Red Panda lives, their fur is often used for local cultural ceremonies and in weddings the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. The 'good-luck charm' hats are used by Chinese newlyweds." From Wikipedia.

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02 May 2011

147 visits

Can somebody please help me get down?

This cute Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo decided to climb almost to the top of one of the slender trees in its enclosure - and then discovered that it was easier to climb up than to get down, lol! It was so high up that I didn't even notice it for some time. Needless to say, people waited to make sure that it was able to return to firm ground safely.

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24 Nov 2009

204 visits

Contentment

I'm just not finding much "stuff" to photograph these days, so will post a different photo I took back in November of this beautiful Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo. These animals are so hard to photograph, as they are constantly on the move in their enclosure, LOL. "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

04 Apr 2010

189 visits

Tail and all

Usually, I take and post very close shots of these gorgeous Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. This time, I thought I'd post this image, as it shows that my usual headshot animals DO have legs, body and that amazing, beautiful tail : )

06 Oct 2009

291 visits

Baby of the family

Let me introduce you to Keti, the newest addition to the Red Panda family at the Calgary Zoo. Isn't she absolutely adorable? She was born on 4th June 2009 to five-year-old mother Malikha. On 25th September, she was seen by the public for the first time, so when I saw her on 6th October, she was still getting used to her outdoor surroundings and trying to keep her balance when climbing up to the playhouse and down again: ) She has such a long, bushy tail, a tiny bit of which you can see here : ) "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

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01 Dec 2009

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279 visits

Ha, ha, ha - good one

I've told that joke before, but no one's ever laughed THIS hard, LOL! Of course, in reality, this gorgeous Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo was just in the middle of a great big yawn. Hope they aren't being bothered by the brutal winter snow storm we've been having the last two days - they do have wonderfully thick fur coats. It's so hard to get a photo of these three guys, they move fast and constantly : ) S/he seems to have a beautifully healthy set of sparkling teeth : )

14 Feb 2009

188 visits

I love catching snowflakes on my tongue

Sorry, yet another Red Panda photo, but I thought this one was rather cute : ) Both animals were on top of one of their "tree houses" this afternoon and it was snowing and this one looked so cuddly and playful. Decided to go over to the Zoo early afternoon, as I had been walking all morning near the Bow River so was half way to the Zoo already. The sun refused to come out and it started to snow - plus there are a lot of slippery patches on the paths at the Zoo - like everywhere else at the moment : )

25 Oct 2007

103 visits

Red Panda

There are three (?) Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. Saw them two days ago. And, yes, that IS snow that it's eating. We had a snowfall the previous night, which is why I decided that a trip to the Zoo would be a good way to spend a few hours.

25 Nov 2007

216 visits

Red Pandas

Amazingly, this adult Red Panda and baby (the whiter-faced one on the left) were still for a moment this afternoon. They have a spectacular, long, very bushy, striped tail. "The red panda (which is much smaller than the giant panda) resembles a raccoon in size and appearance. The red panda is found in a mountainous band from Nepal through northeastern India and Bhutan and into China, Laos and northern Myanmar. It is rare and continues to decline. It has already become extinct in 4 of the 7 Chinese provinces in which it was previously found. The major threats to red pandas are loss and fragmentation of habitat due to deforestation (and the resulting loss of bamboo) for timber, fuel and agricultural land; poaching for the pet and fur trades; and competition from domestic livestock." From www.animalinfo.org .
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