Isle of Man’s missing red panda recaptured after drone search

A red panda that escaped from a wildlife park on the Isle of Man has been recaptured after being spotted up a tree in a garden.

“Kush” went missing from Curraghs Wildlife Park three weeks ago, after a tree fell across his enclosure.

The panda is now being checked over in the park’s hospital unit before being returned to its home.

General manager Kathleen Graham said staff were “really relieved” the search had ended positively.

A live trap had been set and a drone was also used to locate the animal, which was eventually spotted in the garden of a home about a mile away in Tholt-y-Will, Sulby.

The seven-year-old mammal “might have lost a bit of weight” but otherwise “looks quite healthy,” Mrs Graham said.

It took staff “about an hour” to capture the animal with a net before he was taken back to the park in a box.

Since the escape, tree branches that looked in danger of breaking in the red panda enclosure had been removed, Mrs Graham said.