Our two young female Red panda cubs which were the first born for Colchester Zoo in 14 years, have moved on to hopefully become part of successful breeding programmes at other collections.

The cubs were born on the 20th June 2013 and are yet to reach sexual maturity, however they are now fully independant from their parents.

Mei Xlang (prounanced May Sh-ang) which means beautiful in Chinese moved to Wingham Wildlife Park at the end of April 2014 to join male Red panda, Jasper. Mei Xlang is settling in well to her new surroundings and it is hoped that they will become a successful breeding pair in the future. 

Piqi (prounanced peachy) meaning temper in Chinese, moved to Thrigby Hall Wildlife Park in Norfolk at the beginning of May 2014. Again, it is hoped that Piqi will also become a part of a successful breeding programme in the future. 

Our adult pair of pandas, male An An and female Liwei, remain here at their home within the 'Wilds of Asia' area. It is hoped that they will continue to breed successfully and look forward to another successful birth in the future.  

An An and Liwei, were first mixed together in October 2012 but Liwei only reached sexual maturity at the beginning of 2013. We successfully bred red pandas back in the late 1990s, with four cubs born between 1996 and 1999. To further add to the story, An An, is the son of a red panda previously held here at Colchester Zoo, called Rusco, who left the collection in 2005 for Warsaw Zoo.

The red panda is from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, southern China and north-eastern India. They live in temperate forests and are generally found at altitudes up to 4,800m. Their diet consists of mainly bamboo, yet also includes fruit, roots, succulent grasses, acorns, lichens, bird eggs, insects, and grubs. Red pandas typically give birth to between 1-4 cubs, which are born fully furred and grey in colour, developing red fur at 2-3weeks. Red pandas are nocturnal, mainly active at dawn and dusk, spending most of the day resting in the trees. In the wild, red pandas are classed as vulnerable. They are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to inbreeding and poaching.

We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the European endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) for this species once again and hopes for more success in the future.