A Polish zoo was thrown into panic on Monday after a young red panda escaped its enclosure, sparking a city-wide hunt.
Keepers at Nowe Zoo in the city of Poznań raised the alarm after noticing the nine-month-old named Kumari had disappeared from its cage shortly before 2 p.m.
After failing to find her on the zoo’s premises, staff raised the alarm on social media, writing: “One of our red pandas has left its enclosure – most likely due to third parties damaging the security.
“We are currently conducting an intensive search.
“If anyone sees a red panda outside its enclosure, please contact us urgently via our Facebook page.
“We kindly ask you not to approach the animal or try to catch it – it is best to inform us of its location immediately.
“The panda can walk on the ground, but it can also be in the treetops, as pandas are excellent climbers.
“We thank you for any help and hope that our panda will be found quickly!”
After failing to find her on the zoo’s premises, staff raised the alarm on social media, writing: “One of our red pandas has left its enclosure – most likely due to third parties damaging the security.
“We are currently conducting an intensive search.
“If anyone sees a red panda outside its enclosure, please contact us urgently via our Facebook page.
“We kindly ask you not to approach the animal or try to catch it – it is best to inform us of its location immediately.
“The panda can walk on the ground, but it can also be in the treetops, as pandas are excellent climbers.
“We thank you for any help and hope that our panda will be found quickly!”
A city-wide search
Reports soon flooded in, with residents claiming to have seen her in various locations across the city, including a lake, a shop, a road and a mausoleum.
After hours of searching, Kumari was eventually found in the car park of the city’s Józef Struś Hospital.
Zoo director Remigiusz Koziński said she had now been placed into quarantine, adding: “The damage to the enclosure is too severe for it to have happened by chance.
“Unless, by some miracle, eight screws all loosened at once due to weather conditions.”
A special Red Panda
Kumari is no ordinary red panda. Born in June last year, she was the first red panda born at the Poznań Zoo in two decades. Her birth was a major milestone.
Red pandas are native to the Himalayan foothills and are well adapted to colder climates, meaning Polish winters pose no threat to them.
Despite being classified as carnivores, they primarily feed on bamboo.
Known for their tree-climbing skills, red pandas are agile and often move undetected among the treetops.
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