Baltimore has long been known for the colors purple (The Baltimore Ravens) and orange (The Baltimore Orioles), and now the city will soon be adding red to its color palette.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore announced its first new species and species habitat in more than 30 years will begin with the arrival of red pandas.
These adorable, arboreal mammals have personalities that belie their small size, and visitors will get to see them in a new, year-round facility that will mimic their native hilly habitat in the Himalayas. The facility will be between the Round Cage and Round Stand.
“The Zoo’s animal experts and behavioralists have designed a first-rate space with excellent views for the public and off-exhibit areas for breeding or behind-the-scenes guest experiences,” reads a letter announcing the new addition to the Zoo family. “Construction drawings are being finalized and we hope to break ground by the end of 2024 with completion of the construction one year later. We’re also actively working on other new species and habitats, such as the addition of gibbons to our collection and additional flyways for raptors.”
The modernization comes as the Zoo celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026.
The new habitat for the red pandas will be designed for a breeding pair. In the wild, they live in the Eastern Himalayas of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. They’re neither in the bear or the panda family genetically speaking. They’re in their own taxonomic group called the Ailuridae. According to the Zoo’s website, they are the original panda, named “panda” 50 years before the giant panda was.
The resident snowy owl and bald eagle who currently inhabit the space where the new red panda area will be are going to be relocated to a new habitat of their own in the “Maryland Wilderness” section of the Zoo, which is an environment better suited for the birds.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore hopes the red panda habitat will be open to visitors in the summer of 2025.
Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are small, arboreal mammals native to the temperate forests of the Himalayas. Despite their name, they are not closely related to the giant panda but are instead the only extant species of the family Ailuridae. In India, red pandas are found in the Eastern Himalayas, where conservation efforts are crucial for their survival.
https://www.indianetzone.com/15/indian_animals_red_panda.htm