A red panda that went missing from the National zoo has been found.
Employees of the National Zoo went on a wild Red Panda chase after they discovered that a Red Panda named Rusty went missing after 6 p.m. on Sunday. Zoo staff spent the day searching trees around the zoo since 8 a.m. on Monday. The zoo took to Twitter to update their fans and posted a photo of the animal saying "We are looking for a missing red panda, a male named Rusty. He was last seen at 6 p.m. last night."
They also added that Rusty "could be sick & hiding, or someone could have taken him" in another tweet. They also warned their visitors saying, "Please help us keep an eye out for Rusty. Remember: red pandas are wild animals, & will bite if cornered or scared. If you do see Rusty, don't try to approach him. Stay where you can safely keep an eye on him & alert the Zoo (202.633.4888) immediately."
The zoo also provided some information about Red Pandas and where Rusty could be hiding. "Red pandas typically spend the warm daytime hours resting, so it's likely Rusty is somewhere in or near the Zoo hiding in a tree. Red pandas are arboreal, territorial animals, so it would be unusual for Rusty to wander far from his home range, in his case his exhibit."
The animal is a relatively new addition for the zoo. The zoo just announced on June 10 that Rusty joined the exhibit. He will turn one next month and he was brought into the zoo to breed with their female named Shama. Their relationship seemed to be going well as the zoo wrote in a blog, "On the second day keepers saw the pair sharing space and even spied Shama grooming Rusty-a sign that this duo is doing well already."
The search ended in good news as Rusty was found Monday afternoon.
"Rusty the red panda has been recovered, crated & is headed safely back to the National Zoo! Thank you so much to everyone who helped us look for and find him!"
The animal was taken to the zoo's vet hospital to make sure that he was okay.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
