Hampshire zoo welcomes new endangered red panda

Cherry, is settling into her new home at Marwell Zoo

An endangered red panda has become the newest addition to a Hampshire zoo.

The seven-year-old female named Cherry was transferred from Manor Wildlife Park in Wales to Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, last week.

She will share the zoo's red panda habitat with Tashi, a male who arrived in Hampshire last year.

There are thought to be fewer than 10,000 red pandas remaining in the wild, where they can be found living in the trees of the Himalayas.

The species is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List

Carrie Arnold, Carnivores Team Leader, said: “We’re excited to welcome Cherry to Marwell where she will share our red panda habitat with Tashi.

“Red pandas are endangered in the wild where they have been hunted for meat, medicine and fur as well as being sold into the pet market."

The animals prefer to live near water, where bamboo, which is the bulk of their diet, is plentiful.

They have sharp teeth and what is known as a “false thumb” which is an enlargement of one of the bones in their wrist, that allows them to grab and hold onto things.

The species is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with populations continuing to decline.

It is thought that in the last 18 years, red panda populations have decreased by 50%.