Louisville Zoo Announces the Return of an Endangered Animal They Haven't Housed in Years
There's a new resident at the Louisville Zoo, and he's already quite popular. Meet Sundara, or 'Sunny D,' a red panda who's only a few weeks into his stay at his new home in Kentucky. He just arrived from the Kansas City Zoo, though he got some alone time in his new enclosure before the public was allowed to see him.
May 16 was the red panda's first day with visitors, and--as WDRB reported--he sure drew a crowd. There were zoo guests and media outlets alike clamoring for a view at the adorable endangered animal. Sunny D isn't only special to the zoo because of his conservation status, but because this zoo hasn't seen any red pandas since the 1970s.
How adorable is he? We'd love to visit this gorgeous ring-tailed guy--and all the other zoo animals, of course--so we're glad we heard what this reporter said about his most active hours. Red pandas are what's known as 'crepuscular,' meaning they're most active during dusk and dawn. Hopefully, he likes to take his midday naps in visible spots!
Needless to say, zoo visitors aren't the only ones excited about Sunny D's big debut. As Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney said in a news release, "There are so many fun things to learn about this unique species that we haven’t seen at the Zoo since the early days. "While one might think they are in the bear family, they are actually in a taxonomic group that shares common traits with mustelids like raccoons, weasels and skunks." Who knew?
Guests can find Sunny D in the Glacier Run zone of the zoo, in the exhibit that used to belong to the snowy owls. Get ready for one adorable little dude!
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