Rusty the red panda, beloved former ‘escape artist,’ has died, Colorado zoo says
Rusty, the beloved red panda who famously escaped the National Zoo when he was just a baby, has died at the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado.
The zoo announced his death on Tuesday, Oct. 18, describing him as a “curious but independent panda, often found stretched out over a log under the misters or munching on bamboo.”
He died Friday, Oct. 14, a zoo spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email. His cause of death has not yet been determined.
He was about 10 years old. While he lived there, Rusty became a father to twins, Mogwai and Momo, the zoo said.
But he was most famous for his time spent in — and outside — the National Zoo. In June 2013, he climbed right out of what staff at the zoo had considered an escape-proof exhibit and was discovered the next day hiding in some bushes in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood, DCist reported.
From then on, the zoo had him on a 24/7 watch and modified his enclosure, the outlet reported.
Rusty then went to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia before moving out west to his final home in Colorado.
Facebook users shared old news stories of his escape on the Pueblo Zoo’s post about his death.
“My favorite escape artist!” one user wrote. “RIP Rusty. You brought a lot of joy into a lot of people’s lives.”
Zoo staff was nervous at first that he might try to get out again, zoo spokeswoman Sandy Morrison told Washingtonian.
They watched him closely, but he never made another break for it. “It seems like he just got lucky in D.C.,” Morrison told the outlet.
“I feel very lucky to have earned his trust and been able to work closely with him over the past years,” Bethany Morlind, area supervisor at the Pueblo Zoo, said in a statement. “He was a great ambassador for his species and will be missed by staff and guests alike.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Rusty the red panda, beloved former ‘escape artist,’ has died, Colorado zoo says."
