Eats shoots and leaves: the elusive red pandas a whole town is seeking

Published on Friday 15 February 2008 21:12

THEY have put the "bamboo" into "bamboozle": Kirkcudbright is a small place, but still no-one can quite agree where mother and daughter Pichu and Isla have ended up.

The waggish local policeman is of the opinion they are on the golf course, perhaps fine-tuning their short game. The clubhouse manager, on the other hand, has briefed his members to be on the lookout, but is adamant the pair are sat lazily atop a tree, watching on nonchalantly at the operation to rescue them. Mushu, Isla's father, does not care how far they have gone, only that they find their way back.

In Dumfriesshire, the search for the elusive red pandas goes on, with dozens of people keeping a close eye on trees, birdhouses, and sheds. It is more than a week since two members of the endangered species took advantage of a tree that fell on their enclosure in Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park during the recent bad weather. Isla, an eight-month-old cub, and her mother, Pichu, made good their escape by scuttling along the tree during the night.

Since then, Mushu has cut a sorry figure. When The Scotsman visited the enclosure on Thursday, he prowled around in circles, only occasionally breaking off to scale a tree and look around, all to no avail.

John Denerley, the owner of the wildlife park for the last five years, and his wife, Kathryn, are visibly upset at what has happened. The couple, who are both deaf, have built up the park's reputation over the past five years. Now they are just hoping for a reunion with two of the "shining cats" they so clearly cherish.

Mr Denerley, 39, believes the secretive, gentle animals might be able to forage for sustenance while they are at large. Though bamboo is their cuisine of choice, the verdant mixed woodland surrounding the 27-acre park could offer them some food supplies. "I'm sure they should be able to survive on fruit, berries, and lichens," Mr Denerley said.

And he added: "Mushu is pining for them. We have been searching for a few days, and now we have asked everyone who lives near the park to look up their trees, in their gardens, and in their sheds. I just hope they make their own way back when they get hungry."

The search for the pandas has also included the laying of around half a dozen tunnel traps in the woods to the back of their pen. The spring-type traps, normally employed by Scottish wildlife police to catch grey squirrels, ensure no harm comes to animals caught inside.

But they remain empty, and the Denerleys are devoting every spare moment between feeding the other animals in the park, including wolves, lemurs, wildcats, cranes and kangaroos, to scour the woods for the pandas.

Situated in a rolling valley little more than half a mile from the heart of the town, the animals could have ventured from the park into the throng of urban life – or what passes for it in Kirkcudbright.

In the pastel-coloured houses which line its quaint streets, the creatures have become the talk of the town. "The poor wee souls … there's not much bamboo in Kirkcudbright," said an elderly lady in Mulberries Coffee Shop.

However, not everyone is out in fields and forests, cooing and whistling to attract the pandas' attention. "They don't bite, do they?" asked one patron of the Royal Hotel.

The likelier scenario, is that Pichu – who is on loan from Curraghs Wildlife Park on the Isle of Man for a breeding programme – and Isla, born in Galloway last June, are still close to home. To the east of the wildlife park there is abundant farmland, with a golf course and cemetery to the west. People in the villages of Tongland and Lochfergus are on lookout.

One worker at the park said a colleague spotted what they believed was a fox in nearby woods on Tuesday, but only later thought there was something odd about the fact it was attempting to climb a tree.

On the B-road linking the park to Kirkcudbright, even council workmen are keeping their eyes open. Along with three colleagues, William Goudie, a roads worker, is reinforcing an embankment which lies only a few hundred yards from the red-panda enclosure. The team are erecting vast steel cages by the side of the road, and he jokes: "These would work as panda traps, wouldn't they?"

The men have been on site since Tuesday, but have not seen so much as a flash of the creatures' thick, reddish-brown fur through the trees. "I suppose they might try and come here for food, but they won't find much grub left from these boys," Mr Goudie added.

John Cameron, 63, was also aware of the hunt. "I come out to the Forestry Commission trail next to the park to walk the dogs," he said. "I'm sure they'd be able to sniff anything unusual and start barking, so I'll be alert, and check the trees."

Back in town, PC Iain Howie waits by his telephone. The call log in the cramped Kirkcudbright station shows the police first became aware of the pandas' vanishing act at 12:26pm a week past Friday when Mr Denerley raised the alert. But his remains the only call in relation to the incident. PC Howie, a jovial figure who has 29 years of service, remains optimistic.

"This type of thing happening with wildlife is not uncommon at the park. The animals are prone to go missing, although it's only usually for a few days."

And he added: "It's possible the pandas are in the rough on the golf course. If so, I hope they're getting their par down."

Nat Little is unconvinced about the pandas – both of their whereabouts and supposed golfing prowess.

The club manager of the 18-hole Kirkcudbright golf course has asked his members to remain vigilant, but said: "They're probably in the trees around the (wildlife] park."

And he added: "I doubt we'll see anything, but just in case she gets to them," pointing to the dog at his feet, "I'm keeping her inside the club office." Jess, his border terrier, gives a yelp of protest.

If they are in the treetops, Pichu and Isla will be safe from Jess, but eagles and dogs aside, time is their greatest enemy.

WANDERLUST JUST PART OF SURVIVAL INSTINCT

GIVEN their numbers have dwindled to dangerously low levels, it is not surprising to find the red panda has evolved to adopt new methods of survival, chief among them escape.

Though their jaunt is the longest, Pichu and Isla are not the first red pandas to elude the wardens of Britain's conservation parks. Three years ago, Babu, a male – who was this week transferred from Edinburgh Zoo to the Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig – escaped from Birmingham Nature Centre, and was at large for four days.

Eventually, he was discovered 60ft up a tree, almost a mile away from his home. Keepers believe he survived on a diet of fruit, berries and the contents of at least one bird table in the middle of a city park.

Soon after he was recaptured, the people of Birmingham voted him Brummie of the Year – ahead of the poet Benjamin Zephaniah and historian, Carl Chinn.

The animals are hardy creatures, but far from invincible. It is estimated there are only 2,500 red pandas, also known as "fire foxes," in the world, 70 of which are in Britain. Protected in Nepal and China, habitat loss is regarded as the major reason for their decline. The search for Pichu and Isla, therefore, is considered vital.