KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Zoo Knoxville has announced the names of its two newest red pandas, which were born in June.
On Thursday, Zoo Knoxville announced that the names selected for the cubs through a fundraiser contest were Jerry and Ruckus. The names were suggested by two contest winners, who also received an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with Zoo Knoxville’s red panda care team.
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“Thank you to everyone who participated in our red panda naming contest. The money raised will go a long way toward helping Jerry, Ruckus, and red pandas everywhere,” Zoo Knoxville wrote on social media.
Zoo Knoxville said Jerry and Ruckus are both getting very adventurous inside the nursery, meaning they are becoming much easier to spot on the Red Panda Cam you can find inside the Boyd Family Red Panda Village. The zoo added that it also won’t be long before the cubs start venturing outside.
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The cubs were born to mother Sisu and father Doofa on June 7, with Zoo Knoxville announcing their birth in early July. Their birth came just a year after their parents welcomed another set of cubs, a fact that Zoo Knoxville said is an important milestone in its conservation program.
According to Zoo Knoxville, their nationally recognized conservation program has welcomed more than 115 red panda cubs since 1978 through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan…