#original panda

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Red panda cub photo... I guess if there’s one positive side to the tag team of being unable to go places and trying to fight my anxiety it’s that I’ll finally work through my back catalog of photos I need to edit.

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Leela and Khyana at the Oklahoma City Zoo. I need to go back and see them again soon, the cubs are getting a lot bigger. Sadly it probably won’t be too long before they find new homes.

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Pandalorium #13 - Snooze Alarm

The holidays are over, so that means it’s time for Pandalorium to emerge from its hibernation and bring you more red panda facts. And we’ll start off with one of the more common things you’ll hear when visiting these guys in the zoo, right behind “Where are they?” Of course I mean, “Why are they always sleeping?”

Red pandas are crespecular. Now, I know that probably sounds like an insult uttered in a science fiction movie, but it’s an actual scientific term. It means an animal is most active at dawn and dusk. It’s a lifestyle that fits well with the sleep requirements of a red panda, who can spend as much as eleven hours of their day sleeping!

There are a couple of advantages to this strategy. For one, it means the red panda doesn’t have to move around during the hottest part of the day under all that fur. But it should be no surprise that the biggest advantage is defense against predators. Many prey animals hunt at night, and their eyesight is keener during the day. Twilight is the best time for red pandas to safely forage. Of course, evolution being what it is, a few of their predators have adapted to this lifestyle as well, and the cycle continues.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage during zoo trips as well! While feeding schedules can disrupt the pattern, your best bet to see red pandas active is in the morning or evening. It’s never a bad idea to make these guys your first stop on a zoo trip, as that’s often your best chance to see them moving instead of curled up on a tree.

That’s all for this week, but next week we’ll journey back in time and discuss the early days of red panda zoology and meet arguably the first western red panda expert!

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Pandalorium #12

Pandalorium #12 - A Family Matter

Next week, many people around the world will be gathered with their family to celebrate Christmas, often times traveling long distances to spend time with their loved ones. It’s a stark contrast with red pandas, for whom family reunions are almost nonexistent in the wild.

By their nature, red pandas are solitary creatures. It's easy to see why, too; The natural habitat of a red panda is one square mile, which is a lot of space for an animal that's barely three feet long including its tail. However, red pandas will often recognize the territory of another and try to avoid one another, with the exception of mating season.

Cubs will stay in their birthing dens with their mother for three months and remain in her company for an additional six, around the start of the next breeding season. In the wild, red panda fathers typically have no interest in their offspring. In zoos, panda dads will sometimes play with the children if they share an enclosure, but more often than not prefer to keep their distance.

With Christmas coming up next Wednesday, I don't think I'll be putting together a full Pandalorium write up, but you can expect a special holiday-themed red panda photo to appear in its place, along with a preview of what's to come. Thanks to everyone for their likes, shares and kind words, doing these posts has been a lot of fun!

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Pandalorium #11 - Khyana Part Two

While my (admittedly brief) research could turn up no other example of a red panda missing a limb, there are plenty of examples of animals thriving after the loss of a limb... and not all those examples involved human intervention!

For example, a moose believed to have lost part of a leg in a traffic accident was seen near Anchorage in 2007 nursing a calf. The same year, camera traps in Indonesia captured images of a Sumatran tiger with three legs. Animals often show remarkable resilience in the face of injury. One need look no further than the legendary Scarface, a lion in the Masai Mara who has thrived since sustaining a major injury in 2012.

One red panda adaptation will help Khyana with this change: her tail. Many amputee animals with long tails like the red panda will be able to use them to assist in balance. Having seen Khyana in action earlier this week, I’m pleased to report that she’s every bit as active as her brother. In fact, she remained outside playing and eating after her mother and brother went inside!

And since next week will see us a week out from Christmas (yes, already), we’ll use that to talk a little more about red panda families in Pandalorium #12 - A Family Matter!

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Pandalorium #10 - Khyana

In Nepalese, the name Khyana means light. When the public voted to give that name to the female red panda cub born at the Oklahoma City Zoo on June 2nd, they couldn’t have known how apt it would be.

Caretakers quickly noticed that Khyana seemed to have an issue with her left rear leg. Further examination revealed that the little panda had been born with a deformity in the left hip, one that would only worsen with time and cause her great discomfort. The Zoo’s veterinary staff determined the best option would be amputation. Partnering with a local veterinary clinic in Oklahoma City, Khyana underwent successful surgery.

Surgeries like this are surprisingly common. In fact, Khyana isn’t the only amputee living at the OKC Zoo! Chimpanzee Siri had part of her arm amputated due to injury and has thrived, getting around as well as the other members of her troop.

Khyana already looks to be following in Siri’s footsteps. The little panda was exploring her enclosure not long after surgery, and adorable videos from the Zoo are online, showing her active and happy despite the change in her life.

As the parent of a dog with a paralyzed leg, Khyana’s already found a special place in my heart. I hope to visit her again this weekend. There’s more to say about this special girl, and that’s what we’ll do next week!

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So, uh... due to Thanksgiving prep and a lot of associated stress (and the joy of having issues with our kitchen sink while trying to do said prep), I’m going to hold off on the new Pandalorium until next week. Who knows, maybe I can make a zoo trip and get some new photos as well!

In the mean time, if you’re in the States, have a wonderful holiday! I hope you enjoy your feast as much as Ravi’s enjoying his. And if not? Spare a thought for the obnoxious amount of pie people here are about to consume to ignore potentially awkward conversations...

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Pandalorium #9 - Standing Tall

You probably know the video I’m thinking of before I even describe it: A red panda emerges from a door leading to its outer enclosure. As it bounds across the yard, it’s startled by a rock in front of him. Pivoting out of the way, it stands up on two legs, paws wide, looking to all the world like it’s challenging the stone to a fight.

You probably won’t be shocked to learn that this is a common defensive posture by red pandas. The bigger potential prey looks, the less inclined the predator is to challenge it. The stance also lets the red panda lash out with its claws. It's a solid defensive strategy, and you'll often see panda cubs mimic it from an early age... though they often don't have the balance mastered and will tumble to the ground.

However, standing up has other uses as well. A red panda named Futa became a sensation in Japan in 2005 for his tendency to rise up on his back legs. His keepers theorized that he stood to peer out over his enclosure, as it didn't have any higher points to climb to. Indeed, when a tower was built in his enclosure in 2011, he started to stand less. However, he's still known to strike his famous pose from time to time even at age 16! Other pandas, such as Jaya here from the Oklahoma City Zoo, have learned similar behaviors when taking treats from their trainers.

Next week marks the tenth installment of Pandalorium, and I've got something special in mind. I'd like you to meet a very special little panda who's been making some headlines of her own. Join me next week for Pandalorium #10 - Khyana!