Endangered red panda on loose after escaping from zoo

Animal last seen three miles from the park by surprised motorist, officials say

Thursday 21 November 2019 17:12 GMT
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The red panda is the size of a cat (File photo)
The red panda is the size of a cat (File photo)

A search is on for a red panda that broke out of a zoo in the Rhone region of southeastern France.

Officials at the Saint-Martin-la-Plaine Zoo said the endangered animal was last seen three miles from the park by a surprised motorist.

The park said the panda escaped last Friday by climbing up branches broken by snowfall and swinging from tree to tree.

The panda, a cat-sized nocturnal animal with reddish fur and a shaggy tail, would probably spend “a good part of the day sleeping in a tree”.

The zoo advised residents to keep a look-out “at the top of the trees”.

Associated Press

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