【明報專訊】Red pandas can be found in bamboo forests throughout the Himalayas (喜馬拉雅山脈), including China, Nepal and India. Like the giant panda, the red panda mainly eats bamboo. In animal classification, the red panda is the only surviving member of its family (科). Other than giant pandas, it also shares characteristics with bears and raccoons (浣熊).

The red protective coat

Sometimes called the "fire fox", red pandas can be easily recognised by their flaming red fur. In the wild, tree branches are often covered with reddish brown and white mosses (苔蘚). Therefore, the fur colour of this tree-dwelling creature helps them blend into their environment. Living in a cool climate, red pandas' long and bushy (毛茸茸的) tail can protect them from the bitter cold and winds when they wrap it around themselves like a blanket.

Picky diner

Bamboos make up of around 90% of a red panda's diet. Although there may be a few tens of species of bamboo in a red panda's habitat, it only selects one or two species to eat. Moreover, red pandas feed selectively on the most nutritious leaf tips and tender shoots (竹筍) when available. They also eat fruits, roots, acorns (橡果), lichen (地衣) and occasionally small birds.

Breeding is not an easy task

Red pandas are generally solitary (獨居) except during the breeding season. They are fertile (能生育的) for only one or two days in a year. Giving birth in late spring, red panda mothers build their nests in tree holes or rock crevices with soft materials such as leaves, grass and moss. Newborns are covered in grey fur, with their eyes and ears completely closed. They feed on mothers' milk until four months old when they become bamboo eaters.

What's happening out there?

It is estimated that the population of red pandas may have dropped by half in roughly the past 20 years. Now there may be fewer than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. People cut down the forests to make way for housing, farming and infrastructure (基礎設施). They collect bamboo and firewood for other uses. Another threat is poachers (偷獵者), who catch red pandas for the pet trade, or for their skin and meat.

◆How could you contribute?

In our daily life, we consume a lot of resources that come from forests. You can help protect red pandas and their neighbours by choosing products with Forest Stewardship Council? (FSCTM) certification. An FSC label means that the product you are buying is made from forest materials from responsible sources.

Text & photos: Ocean Park Hong Kong

■Glossary

flaming (adj) 火紅的

picky (adj) 挑剔的

crevice (n)縫隙

roughly (adv) 大約

[Smarties' Power English 第214期]