Fairhaven Garden Bamboo Present for new Thrigby Hall Red Panda - Norfolk

Red panda Louise enjoying the Fairhaven bamboo

A young female red panda, born last September, and newly arrived at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens from Colchester Zoo, was welcomed to Norfolk with a gift of its favourite food, bamboo, which grows at nearby Fairhaven Woodland Water Garden.

Louise Rout, Manager of Fairhaven Garden visited Thrigby on Thursday, May 22 to present the bamboo as part of an ongoing programme of support. The panda has been named Louise in recognition of this support.

Ian Guest Fairhaven, Sophie Hodds Thrigby, Louise Rout and John Debbage Fairhaven with the bamboo delivery

Bamboo is the panda’s staple diet. They have fore limbs and ‘fingers’ able to reach and hold slippery stems and leaves. More nutritious items like eggs are added to their diet at Thrigby.

The red panda is a smaller relative of the giant panda and is a native of the Himalayan foothills of India, Nepal and China. Red pandas are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species. There are fewer than 10,000 adult red pandas in the wild and numbers are declining.  The new Thrigby red panda is a genetically important young female and part of an international breeding programme. She brings the number of pandas at Thrigby to three.

Ken Sims, Director of Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, said: “It is very kind of Louise and the Fairhaven team to deliver fresh Broads bamboo to welcome the panda, which is settling well into her new environment.”

Louise Rout, Manager Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden said: “We were pleased to bring some of our bamboo as a welcome gift for the new panda, giving her a taste of Norfolk in her new home. It’s a lovely surprise to have the panda named after me.”

Bamba the red panda with Fairhaven bamboo

Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens is at Filby near Great Yarmouth, t. 01493 369477, www.thrigbyhall.co.uk. The Wildlife Gardens open every day at 10am.

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is at South Walsham, t. 01603 270449, www.fairhavengarden.co.uk and is open every day from 10am to 5pm.