International Red Panda Day

Today, Saturday 13th November is International Red Panda Day; a day designed to raise awareness of red pandas and raise money to try to preserve them.

Red Pandas, also known as lesser pandas, are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN. There are a number of courses which have made these animals become threatened in the wild; the primary reasons being huting and deforestation.

Many Zoos and animal parks are holding special programmes about red pandas today and for the next week or so. Go along if you can and find out as much about red pandas as you can and how you can save them.

What You Can Do To Help

Raise Awareness – tell your friends and family. The more people that know of just how vulnerable this creature is, the better.

Donate Money – By donating money to organisations such as the WWf, you’ll be helping preserve habitats and helping animals such as the red panda.

Sponsor a Red Panda – there are a number of organisations that allow you to do this such as the WWF. Adopt a Red Panda with the WWF.

An Interesting Fact

In winter red pandas wrap their long bushy tails around them to keep themselves warm.

A little bit about the Red Panda

Red pandas, despite many people’s beliefs, are not in fact closely related to their distant cousin, the giant panda. In fact, one o fthe only similarities between the giant panda and the red panda is that they both share the ‘false thumb’, which is an extention of their wrist bone.

Their diet is mainly made up of bamboo leaves and other vegitation. The main predator that red pandas have to worry about are snow leopards.