Rusty The Red Panda Found In D.C.; Returned To National Zoo

Rusty the red panda was discovered missing from the Smithsonian National Zoo Monday morning but was soon located in the Washington D.C. neighborhood of Adams-Morgan, reported NBC News.

“Rusty the red panda has been recovered, crated & is headed safely back to the National Zoo,” the zoo tweeted yesterday at 11:22 a.m. An hour later, the Zoo tweeted, “Rusty has returned from his trip to Adams Morgan and is getting a checkup at our vet hospital,” with a picture of the red panda being offered water through the cage gate.

Today, the zoo admitted that they still don’t know what led to Rusty’s escape, tweeting, “We’re still not sure how he got out, though we continue to investigate that question.” They further stated that they would keep those interested updated on Rusty’s progress, and the investigation into his escape on the Smithsonian National Zoo website.

Rusty, who is nearly a year-old, was brought to the National Zoo – where he’s one of just two red pandas – from a Nebraska zoo in April. While the zoo warned that no one approached Rusty should they come across him during the panda search, he is fully vaccinated and was unlikely to pose any real threat to the public.

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