This time on my visit I decided to make a stop by the red pandas – doing both the Red Panda Nursery House and walking around the No2 Enclosure For Red Pandas (I didn’t do the No1 Enclosure, but have stopped by here on previous trips and it’s also good). The good thing about the red pandas is that I’ve always seen many of them without fail, so they’re good to go and have a look for – remember to look high in the trees because they’re super agile and can get to high branches in seconds and then stay there for hours! I didn’t see any very young cubs in the Nursery, but the walkthrough is worth the trek up to that area. When I’ve been through the walkthrough in the Winter on previous November trips I remember the red pandas walking on the walkway with you, which was so cool to see them up close – this time they were more on the high-up branches for walking but I did see several come down onto the feeding platforms for some bamboo shoots. I always seem to end up at the No2 Enclosure at feeding time, so there always are a couple of red pandas hanging around at the front where they are getting fed, again it’s so cool to see them so up close. The No2 Enclosure has very dense foliage in the middle so this makes for a fun game of finding the red pandas!

It was the afternoon when I visited the red pandas and it didn’t seem like they are taken inside anyway or off show in the high (above 26 degrees C) temperatures, so this may be a good time to go and see them while the giant pandas might be tricker to see.