Red Panda Birthday Party
This week, Keepers have been celebrating not one, but two red panda birthdays!
Our male red panda, Sanka, turned six on 8th July and his female companion, Mei Lin, turned four on 4th July.
Keepers made them a very special birthday cake with their favourite tasty snacks, including blueberries, sweetcorn and sweet potato!
Last year, the pair had their very first cub, Lushan, which was a fantastic milestone here at the Safari Park. After her first birthday, Lushan was then moved on to Banham Zoo so she can hopefully start her own family there.
Red pandas are listed as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), with wild populations decreasing, due to threats such as habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, caused by human activities.
Reports of red panda hunting, poaching and smuggling for the illegal wildlife trade are also worryingly on the rise.
The Park sponsors a forest guardian, through the Red Panda Network, who helps to monitor and protect the red pandas in their wild habitat.
