An 11-month-old red panda surprised workers in Cornwall after escaping from Newquay zoo.
Police received a call on Monday morning about the escaped red panda strolling down the streets of Newquay. Workers at a fruit wholesaler had spotted the creature, whose name is Sundara, and distracted her with an apple to keep her from running off again.
“One of our team spotted something running down the residential street where we’re located and decided it wasn’t a cat or a dog so called out the rest of the team,” Rachel Craze, director at fruit wholesaler FreshPoint Local, told ITV.
Craze said the staff guided Sundara into the car park before calling the police, who sent three officers as soon as they “had finished laughing”.
“Our team were keeping it safe to make sure it didn’t go back out on to the road,” Craze said. “They rolled it an apple very gently so as not to scare it. The panda very much enjoyed the apple.”
The police secured the scene around the red panda until staff from Newquay zoo, about half a mile away, came to take her back.
“When staff from the zoo arrived, they captured it with a net and the cute and cuddly animal wasn’t very cute any more. She wasn’t very happy at being caught,” Craze said. “The whole thing lasted about half an hour but once the zoo arrived they managed to catch it quite quickly.”
Dave Folland, head of Newquay zoo, told reporters that Sundara “was swiftly recaptured and returned to her home.”
Newquay police inspector Guy Blackford wrote on Twitter that it’s “not often” that the Newquay police get a call about an escaped red panda. “Panda rescue is not a topic taught in police training yet,” he said.
Sundara arrived at Newquay zoo just a few weeks ago, stepping into the role of friend and companion to female red panda Seren after the zoo’s male red panda, Rowan, died last year. Zoo staff described her as “a little shy, but inquisitive”. Her activity of choice was “exploring the highest branches in her enclosure”.
