In documentation provided by the Smithsonian National Zoo, a male red panda named Rusty is seen during his exhibit at the Smithsonian National Zoo on June 18, 2013 in Washington, DC. Rusty went missing on June 23, 2013 from the zoo but was found in Washington’s Adams Morgan neighborhood the next day. (Photo by Abby Wood / Smithsonian National Zoo via Getty Images)
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In documents provided by the Smithsonian National Zoo, a male red panda named Rusty is seen during his exhibit at the Smithsonian National Zoo on June 18, 2013 in Washington, DC. Rusty went missing on June 23, 2013 from the zoo but was found in Washington’s Adams Morgan neighborhood the next day. (Photo by Abby Wood / Smithsonian National Zoo via Getty Images)
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Some people who were in Washington, DC, in 2013 are mourning the loss of Rusty red panda, who captivated the city when he escaped from the Smithsonian National Zoo nearly a decade ago. He’s 10 years old.
He died on October 14. Pueblo Zoo, where he lived, the cause of death is still unknown, Sandy Morrison, director of marketing and communications at Pueblo Zoo, told NPR in an email.
Rusty is found in Adams Morgan, which borders the parkland surrounding the zoo.
Bethany Morlind
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Bethany Morlind
Rusty is found in Adams Morgan, which borders the parkland surrounding the zoo.
Bethany Morlind
The panda made headlines when the boy was just 11 months old, in June 2013. Officials say they think the rainfall has weighed on some of the tree branches in his exhibit, allowing him to fall over. the other side of the enclosure. He was later discovered in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC by a resident.
“I was walking home from lunch with my family when Rusty came out of the bushes on the sidewalk in front of us,” explained performer Ashley Wagner in an email to NPR. “He ran for a few blocks before hiding in a fenced yard.”
Wagner was able to take some photos of him and said Twitter seemed to be the fastest way to alert the zoo to Rusty’s location. The tweet allow the zoo to find him and return him to his home.
“In a time of headlines (and sometimes tech overload), I think Rusty’s story brings a sense of hope, change and adventure to our lives – and it highlights the best that social media can achieve,” Wagner said.
Rusty is “a great ambassador for the species and a fun, independent raccoon,” Sandy Morrison of the Pueblo Zoo told NPR.
Bethany Morlind
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Bethany Morlind
Rusty is “a great ambassador for the species and a fun, independent raccoon,” Sandy Morrison of the Pueblo Zoo told NPR.
Bethany Morlind
In 2019, the panda was transferred from the Smithsonian Institute of Conservation Biology – where he and another red panda were moved for breeding purposes – to Colorado’s Pueblo Zoo. They have successfully mated while there.
The twin tiger cubs, a female named Momo and a male named Mogwai, were born in August 2021. They are still at Pueblo Zoo, but their mother, Priya, now lives at the Utah Hogle Zoo. .
“He was a great ambassador for the species and a fun, independent raccoon who formed a strong bond with our Keepers. He will be missed,” Morrison wrote.
The National Zoo has not made public comment.
