Baby Red Panda at Edinburgh Zoo Tragically Passes Away Over ‘Stress Due to Nearby Fireworks’
The death of a baby Red Panda is believed to have been caused by fireworks set off for a holiday. Zookeepers at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland say that it was pyrotechnics that caused their 3-month-old panda Roxie to choke on her own vomit after being stressed by the commotion going on November 5.
The fireworks were believed to come from people celebrating Guy Fawkes Day. A holiday meant to mark the failed attempt to blow up the British Parliament.
Sadly the noise had disastrous effects on Roxie and she died on November 5, ABC News reports.
“Roxie had access to her den, but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her,” Ben Supple, deputy chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns Edinburgh Zoo told the news outlet. “Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on Bonfire Night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks.”
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Tragically, Roxie’s mother died only five days before she did, making this period of time very precarious for the baby Red Panda. At such a young age, many small mammals can be vulnerable. Most don’t even reach the end of their first year. Employees at the zoo now believe that fireworks set off between Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day might’ve contributed to Roxie’s mother’s death too.
Roxie had been doing well on her own before the fireworks. She’d been eating on her own and was responding well to her caretakers. But sadly, the explosions were too much for the panda and it led to her death. It’s particularly tragic given the rarity of baby Red Pandas in the world. The Red Panda is native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Some countries have protected the species, but there remains less than 10,000 pandas in the wild.
The death has been so upsetting it’s prompted officials to call for reform. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is now calling for tighter restrictions on fireworks. The zoo is joining that call and has asked for a ban on fireworks sales and for lighter pyrotechnic displays.
According to BBC News, a spokesperson for the UK government’s department for business and trade, which controls the sales of fireworks recently spoke out about the death.
“We are sorry to hear of the death of Roxie the panda and our thoughts are with the team who cared for her at Edinburgh Zoo,” he said. “We endeavor to keep pets and the public safe and that’s why we launched a new fireworks safety campaign this season to help people use them safely and appropriately.”
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