New Red Panda Makes Denver Zoo Home
DENVER (CBS4)- A new red panda is calling Denver Zoo home after relocating from Garden City, Kan. and is ready to greet visitors.
Hamlet is a 1-year-old male who arrived in Denver from the Lee Richardson Zoo on Feb. 14. He's come out from behind the scenes and is available for guests to see him in his habitat located on the southeastern side of campus, near the Zoo's camels and Przewalski's horses.
Hamlet was born in July 2013 at Lee Richardson Zoo. He arrives through recommendations of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which ensures healthy populations and genetic diversity among zoo animals. It is fitting the red panda arrived on Valentine's Day, as animal staff is in the process of bringing a female to pair with Hamlet, with the hope the two will breed in the future.
Zookeepers describe Hamlet as relaxed, easy-going and a little bit shy, much unlike his dramatic Shakespearean namesake. When Hamlet isn't busy exploring his new exhibit, keepers say he loves snacking on bamboo.
Born with cream colored fur, and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, red pandas, or fire fox, are found in the Himalayas. As adults their bodies measure 20-25 inches long, with 11-19 inch tails. They have soft, dense reddish fur on the back while their legs and undersides are dark and there is some white on their face and ears. Their bushy tails have six distinctive yellowish rings. Red pandas were formerly thought to be closely related to giant pandas, but are now considered to be closer related to raccoons.
Red pandas are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated population of less than 10,000 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation and hunting. Like their larger cousins, these lesser pandas eat primarily bamboo shoots. Red pandas are well adapted with their thick fur coats to live in the often low temperatures of the mountains of south-central Asia and are quite comfortable outside during cooler days here in Denver.
LINK: Denver Zoo
