Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens

Very Easy (Promiscuous)

The **Red Panda** (*Ailurus fulgens*) is a small Asian mammal featured in the Standard Edition of *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 10,000

The red panda (or Ailurus fulgens) is a small mammal that lives in the woodlands of the Himalayas and multiple areas of China. Despite its name, it is not closely related to the giant panda, however it does share some characteristics such as a diet mainly consisting of bamboo. With red fur, black legs, a ringed tail, and white ears and snout, the red panda averages between 50 and 64cm from head to body, with a tail 28 to 59cm long. They are excellent climbers and good swimmers that enjoy living in a varied environment.

The species is endangered, primarily due to deforestation that is causing habitat loss. However, they are also poached for their fur and are vulnerable to inbreeding; inbreeding depression is caused when the number of animals in a population vastly decreases, meaning the genetic pool is limited and animals are more likely to mate with their relatives resulting in weak, offspring. To conserve populations in the wild, many protected areas have been established around their territories, and, in some areas, locals have launched ecotourism start-ups to encourage people to visit and see the red pandas, raising awareness and money for conservation efforts.

### Social

Red pandas are solitary and territorial animals, with males having larger territories than females. In nature, the two only interact during the mating season. Both are also hunted by snow leopards and martens in the wild, and as a result like to have places to isolate themselves and hide.

### Reproduction

After a male and female track one another down using scent marking, the female will roll on the ground to invite the male to mate with her. The pregnant female will give birth to a litter of 1 to 3 cubs around 4 to 5 months later, and they will stay with their mother until the next breeding season begins a year later. They will then leave her to establish their own territories.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Forage Box Enrichment · Dog Ball · Tree Forager
Small Ball · Rubbing Pad · Cardboard Box · Wind Chimes · Herb Scent Marker · Small Ice Ball Enrichment · Gift Box · Small Ball Colourful · Rubber Duck · Rubbing Pad Bark

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

1. The red panda is also known as the 'firefox'.
2. Red pandas have fur on the soles of their paws that helps with scent marking and provides protection from the cold.
3. Red Pandas have a modified wrist bone that forms a 'sixth finger'; they use it for stripping bamboo.
4. Pregnant red pandas will build nests in rock crevices and hollow trees before they give birth to their cubs.
5. In 2005, a red panda called 'Babu' escaped from Birmingham Nature Centre, UK into the city centre. He became a local celebrity and was named 'Brummie of the Year' - the only non-human to ever win the award.

### Other Trivia

* The red panda was revealed on International Red Panda Day.

### Inaccuracies

* While in-game and even in the wiki, they are shown as herbivores, they sometimes eat eggs and may occasionally catch small birds to eat. Like binturongs, they are primarily herbivores, but are more omnivorous. The same goes with Giant Pandas.