Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Lesser Panda

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! A lovely sunny day, with a temperature of -2C this morning. However, a second snowstorm is forecast for the next two days (8 and 9 October). The first snowfall at the beginnng of October gave Calgary a record-breaking 38 cm of the white stuff and as much as 60 cm in Kananaskis. Two days ago, on 5 October 2018, I made the most of a few hours of mixed sunshine and cloud, and made a visit to the Zoo yesterday. I find that a bright, sunny day gives more light inside the Conservatory. Not that it really mattered, as there were only three tropical butterflies left - and those three were being harassed by several young children, so I came home with just one butterfly photo. The tropical plants were in better shape and offered lots of cheery colour. Mainly because I got to the Zoo part way through the afternoon, I got no further than the Conservatory, which is always my favourite place. This visit, I did see two Red Pandas and the beautiful Giant Pandas (that are on loan to the Zoo for five (?) years). The Red Pandas are not always outside and visible, so I was happy to catch this one climbing a tree. They really are beautiful animals and that long, bushy tail comes in handy to wrap around and keep the animal warm. "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. Gobi, the baby Bactrian Camel was snuggled next to one of his parents. Managed to catch one of the Japanese Macaques when it was down on the ground, though the double wire fencing makes photos a challenge. A new addition to the Zoo is a Pallas's Cat. These animals look so funny/cute, and I was really hoping to see it, but it was curled up inside a dark log, with just its tail protruding. I was so thankful that I made this one last visit to the Zoo till next spring, as I found out that 'my' parking lot closes in a couple of days' time. This always happens each winter, and the other, main lot is out of my driving comfort zone.

Another photo that I grabbed when I was saving a few more photo files and deleting the other day. Took this photo of one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo on 20 April 2012. I miss seeing these gorgeous animals, but their part of the Zoo is on the island and so is still closed to the public because of all the damage from the Alberta Flood of the Century in June.

Usually, I take and post very close shots of these gorgeous Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. This time, I thought I'd post this image, as it shows that my usual headshot animals DO have legs, body and that amazing, beautiful tail : )

Thought I'd bring out this Red Panda again as a change from owls and wildflowers, LOL. On this particular day, a family (of humans) was in with the Red Pandas, on a special visit. The animals were being given a treat that they love - grapes : )

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.

Came across this Red Panda photo when I was backing up a few more old photo files amd thought I'd add it to my Red Panda set. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on 13 March 2010. These animals are so hard to photograph, as they are constantly on the move in their enclosure or asleep in one of their tree houses, LOL. "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

Not very good quality, but it's usually next to impossible to get even half-decent captures of these beautiful Red Pandas. They are either running around their grassy enclosure or else asleep, up in their wooden treehouse (usually the latter, it seems, when I happen to be there). This one was asleep in the treehouse, but opened its eyes for just a minute or two and looked over to where I was standing. These endangered animals, seen at the Calgary Zoo on 21 August 2012, don't like the heat.

Every once in a while, if you are very lucky, one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo will actually stop for a moment, just long enough to get a quick shot. The rest of the time, they are either constantly on the move around their enclosure, or they are fast asleep up in one of their tree houses. So sad that they have become an endangered species! "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... 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.

The endangered Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo are usually either asleep in their treehouses or moving non-stop around their enclosure. If you are really lucky, they might stop for just a moment! "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... 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. -2C (windchill -8C) early this morning. Forecast is for snow flurries this afternoon and tonight, but only 1-3 cm expected.

It has been ages since I posted a photo of one of the Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. These adorable animals are either fast on the move or else up in their wooden tree houses eating or sleeping, so they aren't the easiest of animals to photograph. However, occasionally, one or two photos do come out OK and I was lucky with this one yesterday afternoon : ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda

It has been ages since I posted a photo of one of the Calgary Zoo's Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens). On May 30th, two babies were born to six-year-old Malikha and it was only very recently that they have emerged from their den. She has raised them completely on her own, with no "interference" from Zoo staff. Not sure if this adult is Malikha or her mate. There was no sign of the two little ones - I would imagine they spend a fair amount of time sleeping in the den. The conservation status of the Red Panda is "Vulnerable" and the Calgary Zoo is doing a good job helping to preserve this species. This new duo brings to 11 the number of successful Red Panda births at the zoo since 1994. These animals are on the move constantly, so it's always amazing when one of them stops for a brief second or two, and you get the chance for a shot. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Panda I was out for about three hours this morning on a bird walk from Bebo Grove to Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park, and back. We were shown a juvenile American Three-toed Woodpecker at Bebo by a couple of friends who were out on a walk, which was a real treat. I had seen a Three-toed there before, but not yet this year. We were also greeted by a few Boreal Chickadees, which we always enjoy. From there, I drove out to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park just in case a few mushrooms had appeared, even though I already knew the answer : ) Did find a little cluster and one solitary one - and that's it! And from there, it was off to fill my car with gas before it actually reached the empty mark (usually, I make sure it doesn't go below half full) and the usual necessary food shopping.

This is the young Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo - the face has more white on it than the adults have. These Red Pandas are such crowd-pleasers, for children and adults alike. Not the easiest of animals to photograph, though : ) "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

The three Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo are constantly on the run, and getting a decent photo is usually just a matter of luck, LOL! Hard to believe this was taken outdoors. I know I've cut off the ear to get it into a square crop : ) Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, everyone! "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.

I've told that joke before, but no one's ever laughed THIS hard, LOL! Of course, in reality, this gorgeous Red Panda at the Calgary Zoo was just in the middle of a great big yawn. Hope they aren't being bothered by the brutal winter snow storm we've been having the last two days - they do have wonderfully thick fur coats. It's so hard to get a photo of these three guys, they move fast and constantly : ) S/he seems to have a beautifully healthy set of sparkling teeth : )

Let me introduce you to Keti, the newest addition to the Red Panda family at the Calgary Zoo. Isn't she absolutely adorable? She was born on 4th June 2009 to five-year-old mother Malikha. On 25th September, she was seen by the public for the first time, so when I saw her on 6th October, she was still getting used to her outdoor surroundings and trying to keep her balance when climbing up to the playhouse and down again: ) She has such a long, bushy tail, a tiny bit of which you can see here : ) "Every time a red panda is born, and particularly every time the cub is raised by its mother, it's an important achievement, because the mortality rate for red panda cubs is as high as 74 per cent. Since 1994, nine red cub pandas have been born at the Calgary Zoo. "It is important to continue to support conservation and protection of red pandas so that some day we see a natural increase in their populations," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, curator of the zoo's Eurasia section. "There is still a long way to go to this end, but this new birth will have a positive impact on captive population growth and genetic diversity of the species." It's estimated there are fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas in the world. They're classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List." From CBC News, Calgary.

A quick click of the shutter button and, if you are lucky, you'll capture at least part of one of these Red Pandas at the Calgary Zoo. This time, I was lucky enough to capture the "right" part, LOL! "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.

Sorry, yet another Red Panda photo, but I thought this one was rather cute : ) Both animals were on top of one of their "tree houses" this afternoon and it was snowing and this one looked so cuddly and playful. Decided to go over to the Zoo early afternoon, as I had been walking all morning near the Bow River so was half way to the Zoo already. The sun refused to come out and it started to snow - plus there are a lot of slippery patches on the paths at the Zoo - like everywhere else at the moment : )