Roxie, the three-month-old red panda kit, died at Edinburgh Zoo on Guy Fawke's night. Her keepers believe her death was due to stress caused by fireworks nearby. Photo: Supplied / Edinburgh Zoo
A rare baby red panda is believed to have been killed by stress caused by fireworks, leading to calls from experts to crack down on their use.
Roxie, a three-month-old kit, died at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland on Guy Fawke's night.
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland deputy chief executive Ben Supple said Roxie's mother Ginger had died just five days earlier.
"Roxie ... was responding well to specialist care from our expert team and was feeding independently," he said.
"Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on bonfire night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks.
"Roxie had access to her den but the frightening noises seem to have been too much for her.
"We know that fireworks can cause stress to other animals in the zoo and we cannot rule out that they may have contributed to the untimely death of Roxie's mother Ginger."
Supple said the United Kingdom and Scottish governments needed to tighten restrictions on fireworks.
He supported calls from animal welfare charities to ban the sale of fireworks to the public, with only light displays permitted at organised events.
"This would help avoid devastating consequences for animals like Roxie while ensuring that people can still enjoy traditional celebrations."
A public petition calling for tighter restrictions on fireworks, signed by more than a million people, was delivered to the UK government last week.
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