One week after moving at the zoo, an intrepid red panda managed to escape and was only recaptured after being shot with a tranquillizer dart.
On Sunday, zookeepers from Adelaide Zoo spent hours attempting to lure Ravi, a male red panda who is seven years old, out of a fig tree in the adjacent Botanic Park.
Ravi was caught as he fell out of the tree by the rescue crew after they unsuccessfully attempted to entice him down with food, according to Dr. Phil Ainsley, director of the well-liked wildlife institution.
According to her, “Our first goal was that we attempted to employ some food entices, which was bamboo and some sweetcorn.”
‘Unfortunately, it didn’t receive much of a reaction, and probably wasn’t going with it with all the bustle at the Botanic Gardens today. Our veterinarians’ recommendations led us to decide to dart him.
Ravi will be closely monitored for the following two to three days at the zoo’s animal health facility.
On Sunday morning, a security officer doing a normal inspection of the garden came upon little Ravi.
After discovering Friday morning that the red panda’s cage was vacant, zookeepers were pleased to locate the animal napping on the fig tree.
Ravi was injected with a tranquillizer dart when they were unable to reach him, and a veterinarian then scaled the tree to lower him onto a blanket put out below.
Following his previous week’s arrival to Adelaide Zoo from Queensland’s Australia Zoo, Ravi’s thrilling journey takes place this week.
Zookeepers think he used a network of climbing tunnels in his cage to get out and into the fig tree.
On Sunday afternoon, Adelaide Zoo posted a video of Ravi to show that he was okay after his excursion into the wild.
The description for the video said, “We are happy to inform that Ravi is now securely back within the zoo after finding his way just outside to a neighbouring tree.”
Red pandas are expert climbers, and despite our best efforts to create a safe environment, the combination of his climbing skills and the weather allowed him to go on an expedition.
Ravi now simply needs some quality rest, according to the zoo, which added that they would offer an update on his health tomorrow.
The zoo said, “We hope that Ravi will play a role in a breeding effort to develop a robust insurance population.
As an endangered species, in part owing to habitat degradation,
Thank you very much to the team of keepers and veterinarians that worked so hard to bring Ravi back.
Thanks also to Koala Rescue for their assistance.
We hope to provide you with an update on Ravi shortly.