Aw! Say hello to Biru, a one-year-old red panda who recently settled in to his new digs at the Central Park Zoo. Biru is here to mate with female red panda Amaya in the Temperate Territory. Oooh! Biru and Amaya, sitting in a tree!
Red pandas, native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, are endangered due to habitat loss caused by deforestation for timber, fuel, and agricultural use; there are currently less than 2,500 of them left in the wild. “We are pleased to welcome Biru to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo,” said Jeff Sailer, Director of City Zoos. “He came to join Amaya on the recommendation of the Species Survival Plan and he has adapted well to his new surroundings."
You can also catch a glimpse of a red panda at the Prospect Park Zoo, should Brooklyn pandas be more to your liking. Or, just sit back and enjoy these adorable videos: the first is a glimpse of what we can expect at the Central Park Zoo if Biru and Amaya's love connection goes according to plan, and the second is a look at the very special gift-giving season at the CPZ.
