Adelaide Zoo spotlights International Red Panda Day

With today being International Red Panda Day, Adelaide Zoo has shared an update on the health of their resident male Red Panda, Ravi.

International Red Panda Day aims to raise awareness of the conservation status of the species. Red Pandas are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China, it is estimated there are fewer than 10,000 left in the wild.

Following a recent checkup, Ravi was given a clean bill of health by Adelaide Zoo vet, David McLelland, with the public now having the chance to meet Ravi up close through the Zoo’s brand new Red Panda Encounter experience. The experience involves going behind the scenes and feeding the Red Panda a tasty treat.

McLelland has been a vet at Adelaide Zoo for 15 years and says the general health check-up was to make sure Ravi is fit and healthy.

“We health check most of our mammals at the zoo every 2-3 years so we can keep track of their overall health and pick up on any problems early on. It was great that everything checked out really well with Ravi.”

Under general anaesthetic, the check-up involved a full physical examination, checking everything from the tips of his red ears to the pads of his fluffy paws.

“We also took blood samples for routine body function tests and took x-rays of his chest, abdomen and joints to check everything is in order.

“Overall we’re really happy with how he’s doing.”

Ravi was monitored closely by keepers throughout the day before he settled in behind the scenes before going back out to the public habitat.

The longer-lived animals at Adelaide Zoo generally receive a routine health check every two or three years.

Ravi and Mishry are the two Red Pandas who call Adelaide Zoo home. Ravi was born at Adelaide Zoo in 2015 before departing for Australia Zoo. Ravi returned home to Adelaide Zoo in August 2022.

In the future, Adelaide Zoo hopes that Ravi and Mishry will play an important role in the breeding program that will lead to the pitter patter of little Red Panda paws.

The major threats facing the species in the wild are habitat loss, fragmentation and poaching. The ultimate cause of these threats is the high growth rate in human populations within the species’ region and commercial logging, clearing for habitation and farming, as well as grazing of domestic stock.

Each time the public visit Ravi and Mishry at Adelaide Zoo they are supporting Zoos SA’s important conservation work in saving Red Pandas from extinction.

For more information on Adelaide Zoo new Red Panda Encounter experience