Information on diet use of captive red panda: preliminary results

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species which requires actions for its protection and conservation both in the wild, through in-situ conservation projects (Bista, et al., 2017) and in captivity, through ex-situ conservation actions (Eriksson, Zidar, White, Westander, & Andersson, 2010). The aim of this study was to assess the diets fed to captive red pandas throughout the year, and relate them to the animals’ activity and nutritional status, through the analysis of diet composition and digestibility. In addition, it aimed to compare diet digestibility with physical characteristics of faeces. These data are the preliminary results of a larger project that would like to include more zoos over a period of at least one year. The trial took place at Pistoia Zoo (Italy) and involved a captive pair of adult red pandas hosted in an open-topped naturalistic enclosure. The subjects were video-recorded for eight consecutive days using five camera traps placed inside the enclosure. The pair’s faeces were photographed and classified utilizing a ranked score from 1 to 4 (FS 1 = diarrhea-like, FS 2 = soft, FS 3 = normal, FS 4 dry and firm) (Clark, Silva-Fletcher, Fox, Kreuzer, & Clauss, 2016) (Cabana & Tay, 2019), collected for 4 days and then frozen until analysis. The pair’s feed intake was estimated by difference between the feed given to the animals and the residuals left after 24 hours (Tovar et al., 2009), and feed samples were collected to be analyzed. Using positive reinforcement training technique the male panda was weighed and manually measured to assess its size. Feed samples and faeces were chemically analyzed to determine dry matter, protein and fiber and allow the calculation of digestibility.