SEOUL - Seoul Grand Park has recently acquired three red pandas, an internationally endangered species, from Japan and Canada. The park announced on Friday that these pandas will be introduced to the public in March following quarantine and adaptation procedures.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The red panda, also known as the lesser panda, is recognized as a Class 1 endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It served as the inspiration for the character Shifu in the popular animation "Kung Fu Panda." The global population of red pandas is estimated to be fewer than 10,000, primarily due to habitat destruction and indiscriminate poaching.
Two of the red pandas, one female born in July 2020 and one male born a year earlier, arrived at Seoul Grand Park on Monday from Tama Zoological Park in Japan. This exchange was part of a mutual agreement signed on May 16. The third red panda, a male, was brought from Calgary Zoo on November 20.
Seoul Grand Park plans to share the red pandas' process of adaptation on its YouTube channel prior to their public unveiling in March.