Ohio zoo's male red panda joins Virginia Zoo exhibit

By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 28, 2009

NORFOLK

Yin, the Virginia Zoo's female red panda who has escaped her exhibit a couple of times, now has a reason to stay close to home - a mate named Oscar.

The two were introduced Friday but have barely noticed each other despite sharing an outdoor exhibit.

Their indifference is no surprise to zoo officials, who said red pandas are solitary animals by nature. That is, except for the one day a year that females are in heat.

"On that day they can be inseparable, but the next day they go back to ignoring each other for the rest of the year," zoo director Greg Bockheim said.

Oscar is from the Cleveland Metropark Zoo in Ohio and was identified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as an ideal genetic match for Yin.

Red pandas, known for their lush red coats and bushy strip ed tails, are endangered because of habitat losses in Asia. Fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas live in the wild.

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com

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