Flamingo Land is proud to announce that our two Red Pandas are now on display to visitors.

The male is called Bai Jiao and the female Tai Jang and they are both 18 months old. They form part of our international breeding programmes, and we look forward to them having babies in the future.

The Red Panda looks similar to a raccoon but is predominantly red in colour. The word Panda makes us think of the Giant Panda which is a lot larger and black and white in colour. However, these animals are not related. The only similarities between them are that they are both native to China, their diet consists mainly of bamboo, and they have a modified wrist bone which can be used as an extra thumb.

Red Pandas are natively found in several countries in the Himalayas, and they therefore need to have thick fur to keep them warm. The trees where they would live are often covered in red moss, so their red fur helps them to camouflage against predators, such as the Snow Leopard. They also have white fur on their face around their eyes, nose and ears. They have a long bushy tail which they would use for balancing on trees whilst they climb.

Due to the poor nutrients the Red Panda obtains from the bamboo, it is only active for about half of the day, and this would usually be at dawn and dusk. For the remainder of the time the Red Panda would often be found in the trees sleeping.

These animals are usually solitary, except during mating. After they have mated, female Red Pandas would give birth to one to four young in Spring or Summer. These would be cared for by their mother for around 90 days in their nest. Male Red Pandas usually have little involvement with raising the young.

Flamingo Land’s award winning Zoo is open at weekends and school holidays during the Winter, and visitors can find these Red Pandas in an enclosure next to the Sumatran tigers. The theme park opens again daily from 29th March 2014.