A History Of Daring Red Panda Escapes
Don't be fooled by its fluffy, clumsy amble. The red panda is a master escape artist. The red panda looks like a fluffy raccoon-cat, frolics in the snow like an arctic otter, and is known to interrupt lunchtime in impossibly adorable ways. These are well-known skills and traits. What's not so well-known is that red pandas are also master escape artists. So we shouldn't be surprised that Rusty the red panda made a break for it last night from the National Zoo. Red pandas may look like terrestrial animals like raccoons, but they're arborial--they're awkward and clumsy on the ground, which is super cute, but misleading. They're designed for life in the trees, with super-sharp claws for climbing. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums notes that, to prevent depression, red pandas have to be given items to climb on. "Provide climbing apparatus for older animals," it reads, "but beware: red pandas are...