STAFF at the Lake District Wildlife Park near Keswick have teamed up with Singapore Zoo as part of an international study.

Both the park and the zoo’s teams will work to monitor the wellbeing of the critically endangered Red Panda.

The wildlife park is home to two Red Pandas, Mei Li (beautiful one) and Charu (graceful), and is already involved in the European Endangered Species breeding programme.

Work is underway with Singapore Zoo to monitor the Red Pandas’ health over the next year, and find out more about the extraordinary creatures.

Currently, there are about 2,500 Red Pandas worldwide, with numbers declining by a staggering 50 per cent in less than 20 years.

The notoriously shy animals have lost their mountain homes to deforestation and poaching in areas like the Eastern Himalayas and South Western China.

Cover keeper Leanne Whitham said: “There is so much more to learn about the endearing but critically endangered Red Panda, both in the wild and in captivity.

“Working with Singapore Zoo to monitor our Red Pandas here in Cumbria is great example of a global partnership coming together to help protect the species from potential diseases and threats.

“We believe it is vital to better understand the issues facing these special creatures and the conservation work needed to protect them before it is too late.”

To coincide with the new research, the Lake District Wildlife Park is planning a series of Red Panda themed activities for families in its interactive learning area over the summer holidays.

The Park’s ‘Red Panda Ranger’ days will take place daily from Saturday, July 20 until Friday, August 2.

The activities will be suitable for all ages, and will have a range of quizzes, talks and children’s mask-making.

There will even be weaving using natural materials to mimic traditional methods.

This mirrors the work the Red Panda Network (RPN) is doing in eastern Nepal to help local people earn an income while supporting Red Panda and forest conservation.