Red Panda

Came across this Red Panda photo when I was backing up a few more old photo files amd thought I'd add it to my Red Panda set. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on 13 March 2010. These animals are so hard to photograph, as they are constantly on the move in their enclosure or asleep in one of their tree houses, LOL.

"Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent.

Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo.

"It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section.

"There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species."

It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.