Have You Herd About Red Pandas?

Welcome back, Herders to the next episode! Today we will be learning about the evasive and secretive creature known as the Red Panda or known as the Fire Fox! Red pandas live in the temperate forest zone of the Himalayan ecosystem between 2200 and 5000 metres. Their distribution is associated closely with temperate forests having bamboo thickets, which are the main diet of red pandas. However, red pandas have a carnivore-type digestive anatomy, specialized for digesting protein and fats (as is found in meat) and no modification for digesting fibres and carbohydrates – the main nutrients of their natural diet. In captivity, it is often not possible to supply enough palatable bamboo on which red pandas can survive. Historically, palatable captive diets were developed based less on natural feeding ecology than on ingredients used in feeding more omnivorous species (i.e. dogs, primates). Such diets have subsequently been proven inappropriate for optimal health of the red pandas.