The Smithsonian’s National Zoo added three new red pandas to its family at its Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.
Scarlet, Xena, and Taizong, who recently arrived at the facility from Michigan and Indiana zoos, are mostly outgoing and have a healthy appetite, according to zookeepers.
The trio will breed at the 3,200-acre research center and offer conservation scientists the chance to examine and better comprehend their health.
Scarlet, a two-year-old female, is somewhat shy and rarely interacts with people. She often prefers to remain on the perching logs in her habitat.
As for three-year-old female Xena’s personality; she is tiny but independent and fearless, which is why she was named after “Xena, Warrior Princess.”
And the one-year-old male, Taizong, is very friendly, outgoing, excited, and hungry all the time.
Animal keepers at the campus are watching their behaviors to determine when they are ready to mate.
“During breeding season, both males and females will scent mark more than usual, and the males will vocalize—they twitter and squeal,” keepers say. “Typically, we also see the male following the female around. Sometimes, she will show that she’s interested by following him, too, and present herself by backing up to him.”
The Conservation Biology Institute is working on a number of red panda health research projects including one involving their gut microbiome, which is interesting because they have the digestive system of a carnivore despite the fact that they mainly eat bamboo.
“Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet,” according to the Zoo.