Red pandas on the move

Red pandas are both coming and going at Zoo Atlanta this summer, with both directions contributing to the long-term success of their species.

Zoo Atlanta is excited to welcome Paprika, a 4-year-old female red panda. Paprika arrived at the Zoo on June 15, 2026, from the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas. Paprika’s move was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Red Panda Species Survival Plan® (SSP). She will complete a routine quarantine period behind the scenes before exploring her outdoor habitat, so she is not yet visible to Members and guests.

In other exciting red panda news, the red panda currently at Zoo Atlanta, 5-year-old Rose, will be embarking on her own new chapter in the coming weeks. In another SSP endorsement, Rose has been recommended to move to another AZA-accredited organization, where she will be paired with a male.

While often associated with breeding recommendations, the SSP also takes a big-picture approach to assessing animal populations at accredited zoos, not only for breeding and genetics but for other factors such as individual or housing needs.

“Programs like SSPs are vital to the sustained viability of animal populations living in human care in accredited zoos. These recommendations can involve new animals moving to Zoo Atlanta for individual housing needs, as is the case with Paprika, or animals moving from Zoo Atlanta to other organizations for breeding, as is the case with Rose,” said Gina Ferrie, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation. “We know this is a wonderful opportunity for Rose, and we hope Members and guests will visit over the next several weeks prior to her departure. At the same time, we can’t wait to get to know Paprika.”  

Native to the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of India, red pandas are classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In addition to their greatest challenge of habitat loss, red pandas are threatened by poaching for their pelts and capture for the illegal pet trade. 

Red pandas are a separate species from giant pandas, with which they share a distant common ancestor but to which they are not closely related. Giant pandas are members of the bear family, Ursidae, while red pandas are in their own family, Ailuridae. The red panda is known as the “original panda,” as red pandas were discovered prior to giant pandas. Distinguished by the lustrous red coats that earned them the Chinese name hunho, or “fire fox,” red pandas are largely arboreal and generally solitary in the wild, but may be found in small groups.

Zoo Atlanta supports the conservation of wild red pandas through the Red Panda Network, one of the seven projects supported in 2026 by the Zoo’s Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Endowment Fund. In a second consecutive year of funding from Zoo Atlanta in 2026, this support will be used for the construction of greenhouses and shade houses, each with the capacity to produce and nurture 22,680 native seedlings, in the red pandas’ native Nepal. These seedlings will support forest restoration for red panda habitat, as well as will generate sustainable income for local communities.  

Learn more about conservation efforts and plan a visit to Zoo Atlanta at zooatlanta.org.

Photo courtesy Lee Richardson Zoo; additional photos available upon request.