THE Billabong Zoo is excited to welcome two red panda sisters into its extended family.
Rato and Tito are both four years old and were born as part of the Australasian Species Management Program for Red Pandas, which manages the captive breeding program for the threatened species.
The pair have settled well into their new enclosure at Billabong in Port Macquarie, put on public display last Sunday.
Their exhibit is designed to reflect the Chinese mountainside with a Chinese gazebo providing shelter for the visitors and little huts providing a comfortable bed for the pandas.
Red pandas can be found in south-east Asia in parts of China, Nepal, India and Bhutan but they are sadly classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threatened species list, one step away from ‘endangered’. Loss of habitat is a major threat to the red pandas, while they are also illegally hunted in some areas.
Billabong staff would like to thank the members of the public that have already contacted the zoo offering bamboo for the enclosure. Anyone wishing to be placed on the zoo’s database can contact staff on 02 6585 1060 or can email info@billabongkoala.com.au to register their details.
