Red Pandas Coming to Buttonwood Park Zoo

We can expect a new furry friend at our beloved Buttonwood Park Zoo this summer! A new habitat will open at the entrance of the Asian elephant yard for the red panda!

One interesting aspect of this addition is that the zoo will be starting a “community bamboo growing and harvesting program” due to the fact that the “tree-dwelling mammal’s diet mainly consists of bamboo.”

Red pandas are wicked cute and apparently really playful. Here’s hoping that we get up close and personal like…

More information from the Buttonwood Park Zoo website:

“In the wild, red panda are considered endangered mostly due to habitat loss and poaching. The Buttonwood Park Zoo will partner with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP) as part of a breeding program focused on maximizing genetic diversity. The goal of this SSP program is to maintain a sustainable captive population of red panda to safeguard against their wild extinction.