To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Red panda Kaede shows her climbing skills.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
13:02 JST, March 15, 2025
SABAE, Fukui — Love may be in the air for a female red panda named Kaede. She recently left her home at Nishiyama Zoo in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, to “marry” another panda at a facility in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Pictures of Kaede taken by visitors are displayed at Nishiyama Zoo in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture.
Red pandas are classified as a threatened species on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums has established a project to breed such endangered species by lending and borrowing animals among zoos and aquariums.
Kaede’s “marriage” with a red panda at Ishikawa Zoo is part of this project. She is being housed with a male named Hinata, and the zoo plans to exhibit the couple together after Kaede grows accustomed to her new environment.
After Kaede’s transfer was announced, fans flocked to Nishiyama Zoo to say goodbye, taking pictures of the adorable animal as she moved around her enclosure and ate her food.
Nishiyama Zoo is known for raising many red pandas. Kaede was born there in June 2022.
“She’s a very active, adventurous girl. I hope she becomes a kind mother,” said Koji Nakajima, one of the Nishiyama Zoo staff involved in raising red pandas.
