A baby red panda at Edinburgh Zoo has died from firework stress

Roxie was three months old when she died on Bonfire Night

3 hours ago

A baby red panda at Edinburgh Zoo has died from firework stress, say veterinary experts. Roxie, who was three months old, died on Bonfire Night after choking on her own vomit.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said the baby panda was overwhelmed from stress after hearing pyrotechnics being set off across the city.

Roxie’s mother Ginger also died unexpectedly five days earlier, and vets say they cannot rule out this also being linked to firework noise.

Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and south western China, and are an endangered species, suffering habitat loss, human interference and poaching.

Roxie was born in July, becoming the fourth red panda at Edinburgh Zoo. Another red panda arrived in Scotland in October from Whipsnade.

Following the deaths, the zoo is joining animal welfare charities and other campaigners in calling for tighter restrictions on fireworks.

New powers banning the use of fireworks came into force in four areas of Edinburgh between 1-10 November – though this did not include the area around the zoo.

Ben Supple, RZSS deputy chief executive, said baby Roxie had access to her den on Bonfire Night but the “frightening noises” were too much for her.

He said: “Roxie had recently lost her mum Ginger but was responding well to specialist care from our expert team and was feeding independently.

“Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on Bonfire Night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks.

“We know that fireworks can cause stress to other animals in the zoo and we cannot rule out that they may have contributed to the untimely death of Roxie’s mother Ginger, just five days’ earlier.”

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RZSS has now called for tighter restrictions on fireworks, saying they cause fear and distress for pets, livestock and zoo animals.

It has backed a petition started by Julie Doorne in Grantham, Lincolnshire, which has since been signed by over a million people and has been delivered to Downing Street,

The petition calls for:

Restricting private use of fireworks to traditional dates such as Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali
Reducing the maximum permitted decibels for private use fireworks from 120 to 97
Requiring all public fireworks displays to be licensed
Requiring fireworks packaging to be labelled indicating the noise level

A spokesperson for the UK government’s department for business and trade said: “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.

“We endeavour to keep pets and the public safe and that’s why we launched new fireworks safety campaign this season to help people use them safely and appropriately.”

Cover image via SWNS

Hugo Donnelly | News