Panda Updates – Monday, November 30

The Zoo is abuzz with excitement about the arrival of our new red panda, Jackie! Zoo Atlanta teammates and guests alike are already enamored with him. Idgie will always be in our hearts and can never be replaced, but the Panda Team is incredibly happy to have a red panda to take care of again.

Jackie couldn’t be more different from Idgie! Firstly, he is a different sub-species of red panda than Idgie. Jackie is a Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens), which are found in Nepal, Tibet, India, Bhutan, and Burma. Idgie was a Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens refulgens), which is endemic to China and shares habitat with giant pandas. Jackie is also very young at 3 years old. Zoo Atlanta was Idgie’s retirement home and was 8 years old when she arrived here. Jackie is super playful, nimble, and quick! We are still getting used to how fast he moves and finding him in the habitat (don’t forget to look up! Red pandas spend most of the lives in trees!) because he is all over the place. As with most pandas (red or giant), his favorite thing is eating! He gets so excited at his feeding times and eats a lot of bamboo every day. We look forward to getting to know Jackie better over the coming weeks and sharing him with you.

Heather R.
Senior Keeper, Carnivores

(photo by Shauna)