Red Pandas

 Today we set out early to visit Peak Wildlife Park to see the new Red Pandas - two females that were stealing the show.

 This is what you would expect to see of a wild Red Panda.  They spend a lot of time resting up in trees, out of sight.

They do occasionally become active to search for food. They are vegetarian feeders and browse on a variety of leaves, and shoots.

At home in the branches, they are very able climbers and can move gracefully from tree to tree. The chestnut brown back and black underbelly and legs are a distinct colour scheme.  The nature of the white facial marks does vary between individuals.

I did get the impression that these gentle little tikes were posing for me.

They are able to climb up a tree using their sharp claws, very quickly.

On the ground, they are not runners, but they have a very fast and determined walk. Notice the generally pale facial markings on this Panda.

This Panda has a darker face colouring and slightly different white patching on the head.

The darker faced Red Panda is called Eshe.  Her sister with the paler face is called Riya.  The pandas have been transferred from Paignton Zoo in Devon, to a custom built enclosure at the Park.  They are naturally from the Himalayan Mountains and Southern China, but are endangered in the wild.