BOISE, Idaho — Some new animals have arrived at Zoo Boise!
Two endangered male and female Styan's red pandas, who made it to Boise from the San Diego and Milwaukee County Zoos, can now be seen daily in the Red Panda Exhibit near the Zoo Farm entrance. The two join a 13-year-old Himalayan red panda, Spud, who can be found in his home located by the carousel.
The Styan's subspecies of red panda is rare -- they are usually larger with thick dark hair due to typically being found in colder places, Zoo Boise said.
"The addition of these red pandas at Zoo Boise is the direct result of the incredible care our zoo staff gives to each and every one of our animals," Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said. "I'm proud of our team and we look forward to introducing these endangered red pandas to the community as we continue to support this important species."
Their native climate in Nepal, Tibet and parts of China can reach high temperatures, similar to Boise which is why these species of red pandas are welcomed at Zoo Boise, according to Zoo Boise Director, Gene Peacock.
"Our climate and the environment we're in is very similar to where these animals are found, which is a high desert climate," Peacock said. "And we are a high desert climate with low humidity in the winters, lots of snowfall, not much rain and places where the bamboo will grow."
The two red pandas have been matched as part of the Red Panda Species Survival Plan from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in order to serve as a breeding program for endangered species. Zoo Boise is lucky enough to have both types of red pandas, the Himalayan and Chinese species.
Zoo Boise is building a Red Panda Complex that is planned to finish early next year. This new exhibit will provide more space for red pandas to live -- resembling Asian forest full of vegetation, the zoo said in a news release.
As Zoo Boise begins to welcome more red pandas, there will be another section to allow the older ones to enter retirement.
"As we designed our new facility, we want to design it to be one of the nicest red panda complexes of any zoo," Peacock said.
The designs will be completed this fall and groundbreaking will begin next year.
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