Little tree climber

When I was at the Calgary Zoo two days ago, 9 April 2013, I watched this beautiful Red Panda climb this tree and watch the other two as they walked quickly around the enclosure. I'm not sure if this is the "young" one from a previous year, or one of the adults - possibly "young", as the facial colour looks a little paler. The sun was very bright, so the colours could also be a bit blown-out. I was lucky both with the weather that afternoon and with the fact that the animals weren't up in one of their tree-houses or constantly on the move the whole time. They are such difficult creatures to photograph, but once in a while, you can get lucky : )

"The Red Panda, also called the Firefox, Fire Cat, Lesser Panda, or Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation... Red Pandas are classified as Vulnerable. .... In southwest China the Red Panda is hunted for its fur and especially for its highly-valued bushy tail from which hats are produced. In the areas of China where the Red Panda lives, their fur is often used for local cultural ceremonies and in weddings the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. The 'good-luck charm' hats are used by Chinese newlyweds." From Wikipedia.

Snowing AGAIN, this morning, lol! A good day for seeing to a few urgent errands, including food shopping.