Asian Area

New space : Sumatra tigers

Red pandas

Beginning of April 2015, a couple of red pandas, Lira and Yunnan, settled in the zoo. From now on, these two big « teddys » can enjoy their new environment, specially created for them by our team. This particular space is one of the element that form the extension of the Asian area, which have other surprises in store…!
From 4 to 6 kilograms, the red panda is a carnivore. Despite its resemblance with the members of the racoons or bears family, last research have classified the red panda among the Ailuridae. The red panda is indeed carnivorous but its main diet is made of bamboo leaves! This species is originally from Asia and primarily lives in the mountain range of Himalayas.

Gibbons

A pair of yellow-cheeked gibbons (a female from Bratislava in Slovakia, and a male from Doué-la-Fontaine in France) should be able to move into their new living quarters during the spring of 2013.
Yellow-cheeked gibbons (Hylobates gabriellae) are primates who live in the forests of Sans titre-1 copieLaos, Cambodia and Vietnam. They are in serious danger of extinction because of deforestation in their natural habitat and through poaching. The species is covered by an European Endangered species Programme or “EEP”.

These primates are easy to recognise because of their immensely long arms, which they use to swing with extreme agility from branch to branch. They also have a specific way of communicating, based on posture and hooting. The male and the female use their song to mark their territory.Their main food is fruit, but they are tree-dwellers and also eat young leaves.

A distinguishing feature of yellow-cheeked gibbons is that they are completely white when they are born. As they grow, the colour of their fur changes, with males becoming black while the females stay white!

Tactile sub-aquatic pool

Finally, another new highlight this year with the creation of a subaquatic basin to discover the Koï carps in the expansion of the Asian area.

Little extra: both children and grown-ups certainly could admire the carps but try to.

Are you as agile as gibbons?

Young and old alike can now compare their agility by trying to move about – just like the gibbon – on a new and very fun game outside!