One of the tiny raccoon-like creatures that lives at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium went missing this week, the zoo announced Wednesday. Zookeepers who care for their suspect will return on their own as he recently gave birth to two cubs who are still breastfeeding.
The red panda, a 2-year-old boy named Kora, according to the Columbus Dispatch, was last seen in its habitat on Tuesday. Since then, zoo staff have conducted an “extensive search in dense vegetation” near their habitat in the Asian wing of the zoo, aiming to replicate their native bamboo forest habitat. However, security footage has not given his guardians any clues as to his whereabouts, so the search continues, the zoo said.
The male red panda that shares its enclosure is safe, the zoo said, though keepers have cut out an area of tree branches fallen from the recent rain.
Rain has played a role in a red panda’s previous escape: In 2013, a young red panda named Rusty escaped from his enclosure at the Washington National Zoo and did so half a mile away until he recovered on the same day. Zookeepers believe it escaped through the tree canopy in its enclosure, which sank during the rain.
If Kora managed to get out of the zoo, it is not a threat to the public, the zoo said: Red pandas are fluffy creatures that mostly sleep in trees during the day.
Although her caretakers believe she is probably near the zoo, they ask that Columbus residents who see her nearby do not go near her as she is quite shy and could easily be scared. Instead, the zoo asks observers to call Security Dispatch to pick it up at 614-582-1844.
If Kora doesn’t return quickly, handlers are prepared to care for her lactating puppies, the zoo said.
CNN has reached out to the Columbus Zoo for more information on Kora’s disappearance and is waiting for a response.
Red pandas are not pandas at all, although they are believed to be related to the giant pandas with whom they share their dense bamboo forest in central and southwest Asia. But red pandas belong to their own unique family, separate from raccoons (although they bear a striking resemblance).
Creatures with streaked red tails are considered endangered largely due to habitat loss, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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