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Edinburgh Zoo Blames Fireworks for Death of Baby Red Panda

14 November 2024, United Kingdom, Edinburgh: Undated handout photo issued by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) of three-month-old red panda Roxie who died at Edinburgh Zoo on Bonfire Night. Photo: Rzss/PA Media/dpa
14 November 2024, United Kingdom, Edinburgh: Undated handout photo issued by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) of three-month-old red panda Roxie who died at Edinburgh Zoo on Bonfire Night. Photo: Rzss/PA Media/dpa
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Edinburgh Zoo Blames Fireworks for Death of Baby Red Panda

14 November 2024, United Kingdom, Edinburgh: Undated handout photo issued by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) of three-month-old red panda Roxie who died at Edinburgh Zoo on Bonfire Night. Photo: Rzss/PA Media/dpa
14 November 2024, United Kingdom, Edinburgh: Undated handout photo issued by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) of three-month-old red panda Roxie who died at Edinburgh Zoo on Bonfire Night. Photo: Rzss/PA Media/dpa

Zookeepers in Scotland have blamed pyrotechnics from annual Bonfire Night celebrations for the death of a baby red panda named Roxie.
The three-month-old died on Nov. 5 after choking on vomit that was believed to be caused by stress from the explosions that could be heard to mark Guy Fawkes Day, when fireworks and bonfires are lit to mark the failed plot in 1605 to blow up the British Parliament.
“Roxie had access to her den, but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her," said Ben Supple, deputy chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns Edinburgh Zoo. “Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on Bonfire Night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks."
The red panda, a cat-sized nocturnal animal with reddish fur and a shaggy tail, is native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
While it is protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar, the species is threatened by habitat loss, human encroachment and poaching. Fewer than 10,000 remain in the wild.
The small mammals have a low chance of survival — even when born in captivity — and they are especially vulnerable in their first months. Studies show that as many as 60% don't reach their first birthday, according to the Toronto Zoo, which in August announced the death of one of two infant red pandas born there in June.
Roxie's mother, Ginger, died five days earlier but Roxie had been eating on her own and responding well to care, Supple said. Stress from fireworks in the days between Halloween on Oct. 31 and Guy Fawkes' Day could have been a contributing factor in the mother's death, The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
Pet owners are well aware of the distress fireworks can cause dogs, cats, horses and other animals.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has campaigned for tighter restrictions and the zoo used the incident to call for a ban on fireworks sales and for only light, public pyrotechnic displays.
A petition to curb fireworks was signed by more than 1 million people and delivered to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office this month.
Police in Edinburgh said disorder on Bonfire Night had caused a state of alarm in the city this year. More than a dozen people have been arrested so far on allegations that include shooting fireworks at police officers and other anti-social behavior.
Scottish community safety minister Siobhian Brown said this had been the first year that local authorities could ban the use of fireworks in certain areas. She said it was now a matter for the U.K. government to take up.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament, said current rules don't seem to be working and there may need to be a ban on noisy fireworks.

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'Critically Endangered' African Penguins Just Want Peace and Food

African penguins are now listed as critically endangered - AFP
African penguins are now listed as critically endangered - AFP
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'Critically Endangered' African Penguins Just Want Peace and Food

African penguins are now listed as critically endangered - AFP
African penguins are now listed as critically endangered - AFP

Mashudu Mashau says it takes about two minutes to catch a penguin, a task he does weekly to investigate sightings of injured or sickly seabirds.

"We don't rush... we go down, sometimes we crawl, so that we don't look threatening, and when we're close, we aim for the head, hold it and secure the penguin," the 41-year-old ranger told AFP.

Sometimes, when penguins waddle up from South Africa's coastline onto nearby streets and hide under cars, it is more of a struggle.

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"We had one today. They're not easy to catch because they go from one side to the other side (of the car), but we got it," said Mashau, who has dedicated the past eight years to working to protect the species.

Once caught and placed with care into a cardboard box, the small feathered animals are sent to a specialist hospital for treatment.

But conservationists and veterinarians are worried their efforts aren't sufficient to stop the decline of the African Penguin, listed as critically endangered last month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"No matter how much we do, if there isn't a healthy environment for them, our work is in vain," said veterinarian David Roberts, who works at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) hospital.

Fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs are left globally, mainly in South Africa, down from 42,500 in 1991, and they could become extinct in the wild by 2035, the BirdLife NGO says.

- 'Starving' penguins -

The dwindling numbers are due to a combination of factors including a lack of food, climate change, disturbances, predators, disease, oil spills and more.

But the biggest threat is nutrition, says Allison Kock, a marine biologist with the South African National Parks.

"So many of the penguins are starving and are not getting enough food to breed successfully," she told AFP. When penguins do not eat enough, preferably sardines or anchovies, they tend to abandon breeding.

Authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies for 10 years starting in January.

But SANCCOB and BirdLife say the no-fishing zones are not large enough to have a significant impact, and have sued the environment minister over the issue.

"Ideally we would want more fish in the ocean but we cannot control that. What we can ask for, is to limit direct competition for the remaining fish between the industrial fisheries and the penguins," SANCCOB research manager Katta Ludynia told AFP.

The South African Pelagic Fishing Industry Association says the impact of the fishing industry on penguin food sources is just a small fraction.

"There are clearly other factors that have significant negative impact on the population of the African Penguin," chairperson Mike Copeland said.

The environment ministry has proposed a discussion group "to resolve the complex issues", a spokesperson said. While a court hearing is scheduled for March 2025, the minister -- only in the post since July -- has called for an out-of-court settlement.

Apart from the no-fishing zones, many other initiatives are underway to save the African Penguin, including artificial nests and new colonies.

- Tourist traffic -

Being labelled "critically endangered" can be a double-edged sword.

While conservationists are hoping to get attention and funding, it also makes penguins even more attractive to tourists who sometimes disturb them.

"Penguins are very susceptible... and the level of disturbance, people with selfie sticks, it's becoming more and more of a challenge," Arne Purves, coastal conservation and compliance officer for Cape Town, told AFP.

"Especially as the penguins are now even more high-profile."

Tourism is a vital sector for South Africa and each year thousands of people visit the penguin colonies, bringing in millions of dollars in profit.

For those on the frontlines to save the flightless black and white birds, like Mashau, the spotlight has been a long time coming.

"In the last five years, it was the rhinos... we hope we'll get the same respect now and the same assistance," he said.

It is also about protecting the environment. "This is a species that is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem that humans are also part of... and the healthier the penguins, the more humans also benefit," he said.