Photo: Endangered Red Pandas at the WCS's Prospect Park Zoo
- Red Pandas Photo
- Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS
Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Because of their striking appearance, red panda’s Qin, a male, and
Mei Lin, a female, are hard to miss. Visitors to the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s (WCS) Prospect Park Zoo can see their vibrant
red coats and pale white faces on the zoo’s Discovery Trail. Both
pandas spend their time climbing trees and exploring their
surroundings. “From January through March visitors can see Qin and Mei
Lin playfully court each other as their mating season is at its peak,”
says WCS Prospect Park Zoo’s Facilities Director Denise McClean.
Red pandas are
often called "fire foxes" because of the color of their coats. They
will use their tails, which are almost as long as their bodies, to keep
warm during the chilly months.
Red pandas
have an enlarged wrist bone located on each front paw. This sixth digit
or “thumb” is useful for feeding as it allows the pandas to grasp and
hold bamboo tightly.
This species
is found in the mountainous forests of China, Nepal and Tibet. Although
it is endangered due to habitat loss, WCS is working in China to combat
this and other threats by developing a substantial, widespread
conservation network.
Photo: J.L. Maher © WCS
Contact:
Fran Hackett - fhackett@wcs.org, 718-265-3428
Wildlife Conservation Society Prospect Park Zoo
– Open every day of the year. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for
seniors 65 and older, $3 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo
hours are 10am to 5pm weekdays, and 10am – 5:30pm weekends, April
through October, and 10am – 4:30pm daily, November through April. The
Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park,
Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit
www.prospectparkzoo.com