Meet the red panda helping secure the endangered species' future at Bristol Zoo Project

A red panda has arrived at Bristol Zoo Project in the hope that it could play a vital role in preserving the endangered species.

Three-year-old Nilo has been exploring his new enclosure after arriving from Whipsnade Zoo.

Staff say he has a big role to play in the future of red pandas globally as he is part of a European breeding programme.

Red pandas are native to the Himalayan Mountain range through Nepal, India and China, where they are under threat from habitat loss and poaching.

Researchers believe their population has declined by 40% over the last 50 years, and it’s thought there are only 2,500 left in the wild.

Bristol Zoo Project is owned and run by conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society, which is part of efforts to protect and conserve the Endangered species.

Will Walker, Curator of Mammals at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “We are very excited to have Nilo here with us at Bristol Zoo Project.

"He has settled in really well so far and has enjoyed exploring his new habitat. We are thrilled to bring the species back to Bristol and the South West for visitors to enjoy and observe.

“Red pandas are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. Their red or orange-brown coat, white markings on their face, and bushy tails with red and buff ring patterns, serve as a camouflage within their natural habitat amongst red moss and white lichen-covered trees.

"They also have what’s often described as an extra thumb, which is an enlarged, modified wrist bone which they put to good use to climb trees and grab bamboo stems.”

Nilo, whose name means blue in Nepalese, travelled 135 miles from Whipsnade Zoo to his brand-new habitat.

He was born at Whipsnade in 2020, to mother Tashi and father Blue, as part of the European Ex-situ Programme, a conservation breeding programme.