Abbie Fentress Swanson, Culture Editor & Interactive Content Producer
Abbie Fentress Swanson covers arts and culture for WNYC and is the editor for WNYC's Culture Web site. Follow her on Twitter @dearabbie.
A Red Panda Named Biru Joins Central Park Zoo
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Biru, a 1-year-old male red panda, has joined his female companion Amaya at the Central Park Zoo.
Biru, a 1-year-old red panda, rests in a tree in his new home at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo.
(Julie Larsen Maher © WCS)
Red pandas were discovered in 1825, according to the Zoo, 50 years before the giant panda, and there are less than 2,500 of them left in the wild. The russet and black animals are endangered due to habitat loss caused by deforestation for timber, fuel and agricultural use. They are native to Myanmar and China.
Biru came from the Oklahoma City Zoo. He and Amaya are now residing in the trees of the Central Park Zoo's Temperate Territory. The Bronx Zoo and the Prospect Park Zoo also have red pandas.
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