“I heard red pandas are great escape artists”. Is it true? Over the years, different reasons made the red pandas escape from some locations.
Yes, the red pandas are master escape artists. Several reports from zoos and some facilities claim that red pandas have a history of escaping.
Despite their size, the red pandas are like professionals regarding jailbreak. This article will discuss exciting stories of the red pandas’ escapes!
Let’s take a look at them…
Table of Contents
- Rusty the Red Panda
- Kush the Red Panda
- Sunny the Red Panda
- Ravi the Red Panda
- Amber the Red Panda
- Babu the Red Panda
- Yin the Red Panda
- Related Questions
- Final Thoughts
Rusty the Red Panda
Rusty is the red panda who escaped the Smithsonian National zoo in 2013. The officials at the zoo said that rain made some branches fall, creating a runaway route for Rusty.
Ashley Wagner, a resident, spotted Rusty along the Adams Morgan neighborhood. In addition, she said that she and her family saw Rusty strolling from the bushes ahead of them.
Wagner was able to capture some photos of Rusty. She thought the easiest way to communicate to the Zoo about Rusty’s location was through Twitter. The zoo returned Rusty to his home after around six hours.
Kush the Red Panda
When a tree fell across the barrier of Curraghs Wildlife Park, Kush the red panda went missing. Kush vanished for three weeks after his jailbreak in October 2019. Kush’s absence made the staff start an investigation.
Even though the red pandas are very good at hiding, a live trap helped locate Kush. It was a success when the staff spotted Kush almost one mile in a garden away from the zoo.
The staff spent about an hour trying to capture Kush. Mrs. Graham, the park’s general manager, said Kush the red panda was healthy. The team took this red panda back to his enclosure in a box.
Mrs. Graham claimed they removed every tree that looked like a risk of providing an escape route to the Kush red panda.
Sunny the Red Panda
At Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Sunny, a female red panda, went missing on January 24, 2017. The authorities worked with the police to locate this female red panda.
There were no abduction signs of Sunny. The night was stormy, and nothing indicated forced entry into the zoo’s perimeter. It was evident that Sunny must have gotten out accidentally.
Bockheim, the zoo director, believed Sunny got away and slipped from tree branches.
The use of tracking dogs, drones, bait traps, and volunteers were unsuccessful. The search squad returned empty-handed.
Bockheim said Sunny was friendly to people. In fact, they would find her if she went into Hampton Roads. However, the search was in vain since they never found Sunny.
Ravi the Red Panda
Ravi went missing after he escaped from Adelaide Zoo on Friday, August 12, 2022. It was 48 hours of drama trying to get Ravi home after finding him outside the zoo enclosure.
The authorities returned Ravi to the Adelaide Zoo. This seven-year-old red panda was in a fig tree in a neighboring Botanic Garden.
The zoo keepers tried to trick Ravi with his favorite bamboo and sweet corn. Ravi did not come down from his hideout.
The only option was to drug Ravi by tranquilizing him. The veterinarian missed six times using a dart gun before hitting. The authority was ready for a nice catch with blankets when Ravi fell off the tree.
How Ravi escaped from his enclosure is still unclear. The Zoo spokesman said that red pandas are master climbers, and they made every effort to secure the section. However, the red panda’s skills helped him escape.
Amber the Red Panda
Amber was a little cub when she was on the run from Belfast Zoo. Residents made calls to report the missing red panda that evening.
The zoo manager Alyn Cairns said they were happy to report a safe return of amber. Amber explored for a short time in the local area where the residents saw her.
As soon as Amber returned home, the zoo vet conducted a health check. Amber made her way out of the enclosure when the electric fence failed to work. The zoo manager said the staff noticed a power fault in an electric fence.
Babu the Red Panda
In 2005, a red panda named Babu managed to run away from the Birmingham Nature Center. Babu had several escaping attempts before he found his way out of the enclosure.
The staff tried looking for him for two days but failed. The park staff went to the media for help.
Later the park staff received a call from someone who saw Babu 60 feet on treetops. The team managed to bring Babu down from his hideout.
Yin the Red Panda
Zoo officials noticed the absence of Yin, a female red panda. This red panda slipped out of her cage two times in one month.
The good thing is that the officials found her both times.
The first time Yin came out of her cage for feeding. She ran up a tree and hopped out of the enclosure during broad daylight. The zoo extended the electric fence hoping it would prevent the escape.
Weeks later, Yin slipped onto a branch that overhung the electric fence. At this time, Yin was on the run the second time.
Related Questions
How Did Rusty The Red Panda Escape?
Rusty made his way from the zoo through the branches that fell due to rainfall. The tree branches offered a route that allowed Rusty to get out of his enclosure.
Was Sunny the Red Panda Ever Found?
No, the search team never found Sunny, the red panda. Even after an additional search with the help of tracking dogs and volunteers, there was no success.
What Animal Escaped From Adelaide Zoo?
Ravi, the red panda, is the animal that escaped from the Adelaide Zoo. How Ravi escaped from the zoo is unclear.
Final Thoughts
The red pandas have skills that make them great escape artists. An enclosure with many trees on the fence is more accessible for red pandas to escape.
After learning about many escapes of the red pandas, it is clear that camouflage helped in their disappearance. It took time for the teams to find some red pandas, and others were never found.
I recommended reading our article – How Do Red Pandas Camouflage?
