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Fort Wayne Children's Zoo opens red panda exhibit to the public

Members get a preview of a sleeping red panda inside its exhibit at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo on Friday, May 26, 2023.
Ella Abbott
/
WBOI News
Members get a preview of a sleeping red panda inside its exhibit at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo on Friday, May 26, 2023.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s new Red Panda Ridge opened to the public on Saturday. Members were able to get a preview of the new exhibit at Friday’s grand opening.

Seated at the bottom of the Asian Trek, the new exhibit has been in the works for six years, before being opened to members on Friday. It features, not only the titular red pandas, but other Asian-native animals, such as a small deer called muntjac and an aviary.

Zoo executive director Rick Schuiteman says the zoo is excited to unveil the red pandas and help the endangered species thrive. The zoo also has a “cubbing den,” where they can raise cubs.

“Over the last couple decades, we have learned that 40 percent of the red panda population has decreased due to poaching, due to environmental changes," Schuiteman said. "So, if we can be a part of that and just help breed red pandas, that’s really important for us.”

The exhibit is built in a loop for easy movement through the ridge and back out onto the Asian Trek. It includes two red panda exhibits; with two subspecies of red panda, the muntjac; named Zoji, and five species of asian birds.

The exhibit is one of the largest red panda exhibits in the United States.

Ella Abbott is a multimedia reporter for 89.1 WBOI. She is a strong believer in the ways audio storytelling can engage an audience and create a sensory experience.