Red panda escapes from Curraghs Wildlife Park for second time

Red pandas are classified as endangered

An endangered red panda has escaped from a wildlife park on the Isle of Man for the second time in three months.

Kush went missing for three weeks after he broke out of Curraghs Wildlife Park in October 2019 when a tree fell across his enclosure.

Staff at the park noticed he was missing again on Thursday morning and began an investigation.

General manager Kathleen Graham said she was "very concerned" about locating the seven-year-old animal.

Kush was captured in a nearby garden after he escaped last year.

Red pandas are native to the Himalayas and classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Escapes are not uncommon and zoos in Belfast and St-Martin-la-Plaine, in south-eastern France, have mounted searches for missing red pandas in the last 12 months.