A beloved endangered creature — a mom to eight cubs — has died at a North Carolina zoo.
Leafa, a curious and easygoing red panda, was a fan favorite at the wildlife park in Asheville.
“She was a joy to have, and we’re all heartbroken obviously,” Chris Gentile, director of the Western North Carolina Nature Center, told McClatchy News in a Jan. 13 phone interview. “But we can take some comfort in the fact that we know she lived a great life with us.”…