Passionate for Red Pandas
As we approach the season of giving thanks, we are celebrating one of this year’s most joyful milestones at our zoo—the birth of an endangered red panda cub on June 16. Born to Lucy and Zhu, a breeding pair recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), the cub marked Lucy’s first successful birth and the zoo’s fourth since 2014. Now named Ember, she has captured the hearts of zoo visitors and livestream viewers worldwide.
Zoo Director of Animal Care Kyleen Depew shared that Lucy has been raising Ember naturally and independently since birth. “This provides the best chance for a normal, healthy red panda baby, who can someday pass down those behaviors to their own offspring,” Depew explained. Throughout the process, father Zhu has remained nearby in the same exhibit, providing a calm and familiar presence.
Red pandas are found in the bamboo forests of China, Nepal, and Bhutan, and their numbers continue to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation—fewer than 3,000 remain in the wild. The Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo’s participation in programs like SAFE Red Panda helps sustain the species through coordinated breeding and conservation partnerships. Depew serves on the SAFE Red Panda Steering Committee, which works closely with zoos and field organizations, such as the Red Panda Network, to protect and sustain wild red panda populations by fostering partnerships among zoological organizations.
To celebrate Ember’s arrival, the zoo invited the community to help name her, raising $1,500 for red panda conservation through donations and September’s Red Panda Weekend. Ember emerged as the winning name, and more recently, as she has been growing, she is out and about in her outdoor habitat, exploring with mom Lucy. At five months old, Ember is quite independent and ahead of schedule for a panda cub; she has already weaned and is eating solid food.
Ember will be leaving the zoo this winter as part of the AZA Species Survival Plan. She will head to another AZA zoo to begin her own journey to help increase the captive red panda population. Come visit her at the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo before winter is fully upon us! Her birth is a reminder of the meaningful role the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo plays in global conservation and the promise of a hopeful future for this endangered species.
Ember will be leaving the zoo this winter as part of the AZA Species Survival Plan. She will head to another AZA zoo to begin her own journey to help increase the captive red panda population. Come visit her at the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo before winter is fully upon us! Her birth is a reminder of the meaningful role the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo plays in global conservation and the promise of a hopeful future for this endangered species.
