A Cumbrian wildlife park has welcomed a new female red panda as part of a European conservation breeding programme.
Zaya travelled from Parc Animalier De Sainte Croix in France to join resident male Charu at the Lake District Wildlife Park, which is part of the Armathwaite Hall Hotel estate.
Her arrival followed a recommendation from the European Endangered Species Programme, which manages breeding populations of endangered species across Europe.
After a careful assessment by the programme’s studbook keeper, Zaya and Charu were identified as a suitable breeding pair.
Charu, who has lived at the park for approximately 12 years, lost his long-term companion Mei Li in February 2024.
While the pair never produced cubs, they played an important role in educating visitors about the challenges facing red pandas in the wild.
Since arriving at the park, Zaya has been gradually introduced to Charu in a private area to allow them to become familiar with one another.
During this period, staff carried out improvements to the red panda enclosure, including installing new climbing platforms, elevated walkways and additional nesting and resting areas.
Animal care staff said both pandas had settled in well and had already been observed scent-marking around the enclosure.
The Lake District Wildlife Park said: “Native to the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan and China, red pandas are classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
“It is estimated that only around 2,500 remain in the wild, with habitat loss, deforestation, illegal hunting and the pet trade continuing to threaten the species’ survival.”
The park has supported red panda conservation for many years through its partnership with the Red Panda Network, a charity working with local communities in Nepal to protect and restore red panda habitat.
Together with Armathwaite Hall Hotel, the park has donated more than £10,000 to the charity in recent years, in addition to annual contributions to sponsor forest guardian Sushma Pradhan for the past 12 years.
Richard Robinson, park manager at the Lake District Wildlife Park, said: “Charu has been loved by our visitors for many years and has played an important role in helping us raise awareness of the challenges facing red pandas in the wild.
“We are delighted to welcome Zaya to the Park and have already been charmed by her sweet but adventurous personality.
“Conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and participating in international breeding programmes is an important part of helping to secure the future of endangered species.
“We are very pleased with how both Zaya and Charu have settled in and look forward to watching their relationship develop in the months ahead.”
While red pandas are naturally solitary in the wild, they come together during the breeding season.
The park said it hoped the new pairing would contribute to the long-term conservation of the species and could eventually result in the arrival of cubs.
Visitors can now see Zaya and Charu in their newly upgraded enclosure at the Lake District Wildlife Park, where the red panda talk and feed is held at 1.30pm every day.
