The Great Escape At Belfast Zoo

Escape ‘Panda-monium’ at Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo staff successfully returned a recently-escaped red panda cub to its home in the zoo. Amber, who was born in summer 2018, was returned to the zoo safely late on Monday morning. Upon return to the zoo, Amber received a full health check by the zoo vet. Amber is in good health but continues to be observed.

The search operation, conducted by Belfast Zoo staff and supported by the PSNI, commenced on Sunday evening. Amber was found by the search team in Collinbridge, a residential area located within a mile of the zoo’s grounds.

Alyn Cairns, Zoo Manager, said: “We are pleased to report that Amber has been safely returned to Belfast Zoo after a short time exploring the local area. We would like to thank all of those involved in the search for our missing red panda. We received several calls from local residents who reported sightings which helped the search team to track its location.”

Alyn continued: “Red pandas are an endangered species and are facing a high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and illegal hunting. We were delighted to announce the birth of Amber and her sister Autumn in June 2018 and hope to continue successful breeding of this species in future.”

Alyn added: “Following the initial report of the escape, we discovered a power fault in an electric fence in red panda habitat. Our maintenance team were informed at the earliest opportunity and the fence has since been repaired. Safety and security of our animals is of paramount importance so we will continue to monitor this to ensure there are no further incidents.”

Belfast Zoo’s mission is to be a major force in conserving and safeguarding habitats and wildlife to make a significant contribution to their survival in the future. Red pandas are part of the zoo’s collaborative breeding programme to ensure a viable safety net population in captivity. One of the zoo’s roles is to create conservation links between captive populations of endangered species being managed ex situ and wild populations being managed in situ. Belfast Zoo supports a number of in situ conservation campaigns including the Red Panda Network. This organisation is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.

Belfast Zoo is currently closed for essential maintenance and will reopen to visitors on Saturday 2 February.