(COLORADO SPRINGS) — For the first time in more than 20 years, a red panda is calling the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) home.
Cora, a 1-year-old female red panda, is the newest resident at the Asian Highlands.
“The cuteness factor is off the charts with this one,” said Rebecca Zwicker, animal care manager in Asian Highlands. “Right now, we’re helping her settle in by providing a calm environment with lots of activities and opportunities to play, eat and rest.”
After an overnight drive from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., Cora arrived at CMZoo by climate-controlled passenger van on Tuesday afternoon, July 9. When Cora first arrived at her new home in Asian Highlands, CMZoo said she stepped right out of her travel crate, curiously sniffed her new surroundings and comfortably climbed into one of her trees.
Cora then immediately set about testing multiple perches, enjoying bamboo snacks and scouting out her new den. While she may take some time to completely settle in, she seemed right at home on her first day, CMZoo said. She will live in her bachelorette pad by herself, CMZoo said, because that’s the way red pandas live in the wild.
“It’s going to be hard for all of us to contain our excitement, but we will manage for Cora’s well-being,” Rebecca says. “It has been more than 20 years since red pandas lived at CMZoo. We’re thrilled to welcome this species back to the mountain, and to help our guests learn more about them.”
In the same 20-year timeline since red pandas’ last appearance at CMZoo, the wild population is estimated to have declined by half. Only approximately 2,500 red pandas remain in their native Eastern Himalayan forests. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the leading factors for the decline.
“Cora is going to help us teach more people about the importance of wildlife corridors,” Rebecca says. “You might have heard of the Interstate 70 wildlife corridor, here in Colorado. It connects habitats and populations of various species that would otherwise be separated by human developments. We can support organizations building similar connections between habitats for red pandas and other species in Cora’s native lands.”
It may be difficult to spot Cora if you visit within the next week, CMZoo said, as she is still settling in. Keepers have added some branches to the front of her new home to give her some privacy and barriers to keep guests a little further away than normal, to help her feel secure while she acclimates.
After that time, you can hopefully catch a glimpse of this cutie between the Amur tiger and Amur leopard habitats, in Asian Highlands.
