Red Panda Receives New Furniture as New Year’s Present
For recent visitors at Taipei Zoo, they might have noticed the addition of new furniture inside the red panda’s abode. The new facilities include a suspended platform, a solid low wooden bridge, and a “nest” with the drawn face of a red panda, and a bamboo bridge for climbing. Currently, there are 3 outdoor areas where the red panda can explore inside the zoo’s Temperate Zone Animal Area. The section that underwent the makeover is located right across from the home of Asian small-clawed otters. The biggest change to the red panda’s homeground is the replacement of piano wires with a glass barrier. In the past, the presence of the wires causes onlookers to mistaken the area as no more than a bunch of trees. They often fail to spot the red panda and can only satisfy their curiosity by taking pictures with a statue of the animal nearby. The newly placed glass barrier improves the visibility across the terrain, while cutting off some of the noises before it reaches the animal as well. The proud owners of the new furniture – the 4-year-old red panda Crepe – has the option of either greeting visitors from the suspended platform or retreat to its “nest” to enjoy a nap. The furniture was installed at the furry friend’s home on January 9, and the zoo keepers are still observing whether the facilities have affected Crepe’s behaviors and whether additional adjustments are necessary. For people concerned about whether the freezing weather will negatively impact the red panda population at the zoo, Taipei Zoo officials remarked that it is not a problem, since these animals dwell in habitats with elevations between 2,200 meters and 4,800 meters. In fact, the cold spell makes them feel even more at home!
