A new female red panda has arrived at the Seneca Park Zoo, zoo officials and Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced Aug. 11.
Rose, as she is called, came from Zoo Atlanta on a breeding recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
She will join Gizmo, Seneca Park Zoo’s resident male red panda, to form a new breeding pair.
Rose is currently in the zoo’s animal hospital where she is expected to remain for 30 days, in keeping with AZA standard quarantine protocols so she can acclimate to her new surroundings and mate.
The public will be able to see her in the habitat she’ll share with Gizmo after that.
Rose was born June 25, 2020, at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and later transferred to Atlanta.
Gizmo was born June 6, 2019,
at the Sacramento Zoo in California. He arrived at Seneca Park Zoo in February 2026 from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama.
“Red pandas are a guest favorite, and they allow us to tell an important story about an endangered species whose habitat is rapidly shrinking,” said zoo director Bob Lee.
Red pandas are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and some expert estimates place their number in the wild at just 2,500.
The primary threat they face is habitat loss. They can be found in high-altitude forests across the Himalayan Mountains and rely on dense forests to survive because they spend most of their lives in trees.
Rose’s animal care staff at Zoo Atlanta describe her as a little shy at first, very food-motivated for grapes and apples and a lover of winter weather (so she should do great here).
The zoo’s previous female red panda, Raji, was transferred to another zoo earlier this year.
Red pandas were introduced at the zoo in 2018. The original inhabitants were male Blaze and female Starlight, who produced three cubs.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New female red panda arrives at Seneca Park Zoo
