Meet Carko!
Say hello to Carko, our new male red panda, who has arrived at DZC to join resident female, Ember!
Eleven-month-old Carko arrived by plane from Sweden last week as part of a European Endangered Species breeding Programme (EEP) and is already settling in well with one year-old Ember.
Team Leader, Laura Robbins, said: “We’re really pleased to welcome Carko to DZC after he was matched to form a new breeding pair with Ember.
“Introductions went very smoothly and they both seemed to hit it off instantly.
“He’s still a little nervous at the moment, which is to be expected, but we’re making sure we spend extra time with him in the enclosure with some little treats to help build a bond with keepers.”
Carko and Ember, who arrived at DZC last summer, are currently in temporary accommodation in the Small Primate House, while we carry out final touches to the new-look red panda exhibit opposite the giraffe paddock and we hope to relocate them to their new home soon!
Classed as endangered in their native Eastern Himalayan regions in China, Nepal, and Bhutan, species numbers have declined by half in the last two decades, due to habitat loss, climate change and being hunted for the pet trade.
Fingers crossed our new pairing will help boost the numbers of captive red pandas, who provide a safety net against possible extinction of this beautiful species.
