Adelaide Zoo’s male Red Panda, Ravi, has been given a clean bill of health after a recent check-up and just in time for International Red Panda Day.
David McLelland has been a vet at Adelaide Zoo for 15 years and says the general health check-up was to make sure Ravi is fit and healthy.
“We health check most of our mammals at the zoo every 2-3 years so we can keep track of their overall health and pick up on any problems early on. It was great that everything checked out really well with Ravi.”
Under general anaesthetic, the check-up involved a full physical examination, checking everything from the tips of his red ears to the pads of his fluffy paws.
“We also took blood samples for routine body function tests and took x-rays of his chest, abdomen and joints to check everything is in order.
“Overall we’re really happy with how he’s doing.”
After waking up from his little nap, Ravi was monitored closely by keepers throughout the rest of the day. He settled in behind the scenes before going back out to the public habitat.
“All being well and it will be another couple of years before we do another health check with him,” finished David.
The longer-lived animals at Adelaide Zoo generally receive a routine health check every two or three years.
Red Panda lovers now have a chance to meet Ravi up close through our brand new Red Panda Encounter experience. The experience involves going behind the scenes and feeding the Red Panda a tasty treat.
Ravi and Mishry are the two Red Pandas who call Adelaide Zoo home. Ravi was born at Adelaide Zoo in 2015 before departing for Australia Zoo. Ravi returned home to Adelaide Zoo in August 2022.
In the future, Adelaide Zoo hopes that Ravi and Mishry will play an important role in the breeding program that will lead to the pitter patter of little Red Panda paws.
On Saturday 16 September Adelaide Zoo will celebrate International Red Panda Day, raising awareness of the conservation status of the species.
Red Pandas are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China, it is estimated there are fewer than 10,000 left in the wild.
The major threats facing the species in the wild are habitat loss, fragmentation and poaching. The ultimate cause of these threats is the high growth rate in human populations within the species’ region and commercial logging, clearing for habitation and farming, as well as grazing of domestic stock.
Each time you visit Ravi and Mishry at Adelaide Zoo you are supporting Zoos SA’s important conservation work in saving Red Pandas from extinction.
