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Endangered red panda arrives at Jersey Zoo

Cameron WeldonChannel Islands
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Red panda Esha is pictured looking at the camera. The red panda is a dark brown/orange colour with white ears and nose.Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Five-year-old Esha arrived at Jersey Zoo from a wildlife park in Staffordshire

A red panda has been welcomed to its new home at Jersey Zoo.

Five-year-old Esha arrived from Peak Wildlife Park, in Staffordshire.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates there are fewer than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild, and they are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Mary-Anne Jones, from the zoo, said Esha had settled in well, was growing in confidence both with her new keepers and in her new enclosure.

Esha is a five-year-old red panda

The zoo said red pandas faced a number of threats in the wild which included habitat loss, human interference and poaching.

It said: "Red pandas are found in the eastern Himalayas and their diet mainly consists of bamboo.

"With six digits, they're incredibly adept climbers with the ability to climb down headfirst."

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