The zoo described Rusty as “a curious but independent panda, often found stretched out over a log under the misters or munching on bamboo.”
Rusty escaped his enclosure at the National Zoo in June of 2013, as CNN reported at the time. City residents spotted the small panda wandering through DC’s trendy Adams Morgan neighborhood. He was safely returned to the facility but the escape puzzled zoo officials – no red panda had ever escaped the enclosure before, and Rusty’s companion stayed in the zoo while he escaped. After an in-depth investigation, zoo officials concluded that he likely escaped through the tree canopy in his enclosure.
Since his daring escape, Rusty had relocated to the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. The zoo announced that he had died on its official Instagram account on Wednesday. Rusty was around 10 years old. “I feel very lucky to have earned his trust and been able to work closely with him over the past years,” said his lead keeper Bethany in the Instagram post. “He was a great ambassador for his species and will be missed by staff and guests alike.” Rusty fathered twins Mogwai and Momo while at the Pueblo Zoo.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rusty the red panda, who briefly ran free in D.C. in 2013, has unexpectedly diedRusty the red panda escaped his National Zoo enclosure and was briefly free in Washington, D.C., in 2013. He has died at age 10 of unknown causes.
Read more »
Rusty the red panda, known for escaping the National Zoo as a young cub, dies unexpectedlyRusty the red panda, who rose to fame in June 2013 after escaping from his enclosure at the National Zoo in D.C., died unexpectedly last week at the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado.
Read more »
Rusty, the Red Panda Who Escaped From the National Zoo, Has Died - WashingtonianThe adorably intrepid animal became a DC celebrity in 2013.
Read more »
Rusty the red panda, who once famously escaped the National Zoo, has diedA red panda, who once famously escaped the National Zoo and captivated the D.C. area and beyond, has died unexpectedly, according to The Pueblo Zoo.
Read more »
Disneyland finally has MagicBands — but do you really need one?MagicBands have been at Walt Disney World since 2013.
Read more »
First Rusty and now news that Luke the magnificent Lion has passed, “He was truly the king of the Great Cats exhibit” - PoPville'Photo credit: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian's National Zoo' Following yesterday's crushing news about Rusty the Red Panda passing, unfortunately, comes more sad news from the Smithsonian's National Zoo: 'Our Zoo family is mourning the loss of Luke, a 17 y.o. African lion who was humanely euthanized Oct. 19. He was truly the king of the Great
Read more »