Three red pandas from Fujian Province arrived in Taipei on Friday and are expected to make their public debut in mid July, according to the Taipei Zoo. The three animals, bred by a panda research center in Fujian, were given to the zoo to promote breeding cooperation. They are male Huan Huan, and females Mei Ke, and Ya Ya.
Taipei Zoo has had four red pandas from Japan and has been trying to breed them, but the attempts have failed, said Chen Yu-yan, a panda expert, who expressed hope that they will succeed this time with the newcomers.
Red Pandas are small arboreal mammals that have been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They feed mainly on bamboo and spend most of the day sleeping in trees. They become more active from dusk to dawn.