Kush the red panda, who escaped from his enclosure at Curraghs Wildlife Park, could yet come home.

Staff are optimistic of a happy ending after Kush was spotted on Sunday within the park’s grounds.

’We know he’s coming back,’ general manager Kathleen Graham told the Examiner yesterday (Monday).

’We’ve got our fingers crossed, but we’re quite optimistic. He’s looking for his food and we’re doing a number of things to get him back.’

Kush made his great escape last week after a tree branch snapped forming a bridge over the enclosure’s walls. He is one of three red pandas - an endangered mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and China - at the park.

The manager said food has been laid out to keep him close by with live traps set around the park to try and catch him safely.

The team has ensured there are routes for him to get into his enclosure without him being able to turn around and get back out again.

Certain dangers that face Kush in the wild are roads and encountering other animals.

’[Park animals] are much safer when they are in their enclosure, where they are cared for and safe,’ she said.

The manager added that trees will not be removed from their home as the red pandas need them. A barricade could be created around the enclosure, but this would mean visitors would ’hardly see the pandas’, she said.

’It’s quite nice we’ve got open top enclosures so they can enjoy an uninhibited room and the sunshine. You need to balance the risk against the welfare of the animal.

’We want them to have a nice enclosure.’