Xiao, a beloved Red Panda at Amazon World, has sadly died at the age of 12-and-a-half, the zoo has announced.
The endangered animal sadly passed away on Friday (5th December), leaving behind 2 young cubs and a heartbroken team of keepers.
Xiao arrived at Amazon World in May 2014 alongside her sister Mei-xing. The pair lived together until 2020, when Mei-xing moved to another facility to make way for a male Red Panda named Bert.
Rather sadly, Xiao and Bert produced several cubs, but sadly none survived past their first month.
Following Bert’s sudden death in 2023, a new young male named Flint joined the zoo as part of the Red Panda international studbook programme. In June this year, Flint and Xiao became parents to 2 female cubs.
Xiao struggled with rearing the cubs alone, so keepers stepped in to co-parent. At 2 months old, the cubs began receiving extra milk feeds during the day from staff while remaining in their nest box under Xiao’s watchful eye. Xiao continued to feed and care for them through the night. This teamwork approach proved a success, and the cubs have since thrived.
In memory of Xiao, the zoo has named the cubs Xiao-Mei, meaning “little beauty”, and Xiao-Boa, meaning “little treasure”. They will be known as Mei and Bo.
Amazon World says the cubs and their father Flint are being closely monitored as they adjust to this loss.
Keepers described Xiao as a beautiful ambassador for her species who stole their hearts the moment she arrived over a decade ago. Her passing has left a significant hole in the team and in Amazon World’s ongoing conservation efforts for Red Pandas.
I know zoo’s do a good job helping to protect threatened species but i hate to see any animal caged in any way put yourself in their place