A red panda peeks through lush green foliage, surrounded by dense leaves, with its face centered and alert. At Paignton Zoo in Devon, UK
A red panda resting on a tree branch, with its head and paws draped over the wood, surrounded by blurred foliage. At Paignton Zoo in Devon, UK

Red Panda

Paignton Zoo is currently home to one adorable red panda, a young female named Mouca. She lives at the very top of the zoo in her Himalayan-themed enclosure opposite the spider monkeys. 

Red PandaAilurus fulgens

  • Class:

    Mammals

  • Order:

    Carnivora

  • Family:

    Ailuridae

About the red panda

Also known as the ‘original panda’, red pandas are an unmistakable fiery red colour as suggested by their name. They are found in the wild in deciduous and coniferous forests of the eastern Himalayan mountains and southwestern China.

Like their distant black and white cousins, red pandas mostly eat bamboo shoots, but can also tuck in to grubs, berries and small eggs.

Conservation

Habitat destruction and fragmentation poses a huge threat to red pandas in the wild. There are thought to be no more than 10,000 mature individuals remaining today, with the IUCN Red List classing red pandas as Endangered.

The red panda has legal protection in several national parks within China and Nepal. Our red pandas are part of the EAZA ex-situ breeding programme (EEP) for the species.

Interesting facts