Edinburgh Zoo's baby red panda, Roxie, died after being stressed by fireworks on Bonfire Night, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

Roxie, who was three months old, choked on her vomit due to loud pyrotechnics.

Her mother, Ginger, had died unexpectedly five days earlier, with experts unable to rule out firework noise as a contributing factor.

The zoo and animal welfare charities now urge for tighter firework restrictions to prevent distress in animals.

Red pandas, native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, face threats from habitat loss and human activities.

Edinburgh tried to mitigate firework-related disruptions by enforcing new powers to ban fireworks in specific zones between 1-10 November, though the zoo's vicinity was not included.

Following the incident, a petition calling for more rigid firework controls has gained traction, advocating limitations on private use to specific dates and reducing noise levels.

RZSS's Ben Supple emphasizes the need for organized display licenses and a ban on public firework sales to protect animals from distressing consequences.