Red p;anda Kesari dies after escaping from Symbio Wildlife Park

The desperate search for a red panda that escaped from a south Sydney zoo has ended in tragedy.

A runaway red panda that escaped from a zoo has died after it was a hit by a car

on a busy motorway.

The female red panda, Kesari, escaped from Symbio Wildlife Park on Thursday after recent wet weather brought a tree down on the animals’ enclosure.

Police officers found the injured animal on the M1 Princes Motorway, after it had been hit by a car, around 3:30pm, where she was taken for urgent veterinary care.

A spokesperson from Symbio said on Thursday afternoon they were hopeful Kesari would make a full recovery, but further veterinary advice deemed the injuries too severe.

A Red Panda is seen at Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh, NSW. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“Multiple fractures in the pelvis, and a significant amount of arthritis already present due to her age, deemed the chances of a positive and quality recovery too slim,” a spokesperson from Symbio said.

After spotting the fallen tree in the early hours of the morning, the Symbio team launched an all-out search and rescue operation.

Aided by drones, thermal telescopes and tracking dogs, the search team had hoped to recover the much-loved animal quickly, but the search dragged on for several hours.

The pandas are an endangered species. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Having been brought to Symbio from Auckland Zoo, the endangered red panda was a tourist drawcard for the park.

Symbio offered visitors the opportunity to feed Kesari out of their hands, a rare opportunity to interact with the usually secretive nocturnal animals.

“The team at Symbio, and Kesari’s zookeepers, are understandably distraught and devastated,” the spokesperson said.

Kesari’s death leaves her five cubs, Mohan, Phinju, Raja, Shifu and Makalu, without a mother.