Rusty the red panda, famous for escaping from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in 2013, died unexpectedly at a Colorado zoo, his keepers said.
Rusty was 10 years old, according to the Pueblo Zoo.
The red panda made his mark on D.C. history after breaking out of the National Zoo by climbing on rain-soaked tree limbs and bamboo. On June 24, keepers went to Rusty's enclosure on the Asia Trail and discovered he was missing.
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Hours later, someone spotted him scampering around Adams Morgan. The zookeepers who knew him best, plus personnel from the Washington Humane Society, were able to catch him in a net.
About a year later, he welcomed three cubs with his mate at the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.
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Rusty was born in 2012 at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in Nebraska. Rusty was moved to the Pueblo Zoo in 2019 and then became a dad to twins named Mogwai and Momo in August 2021.
“He was a curious but independent panda, often found stretched out over a log under the misters or munching on bamboo,” one of his Colorado zookeepers said.
Rusty died Friday, a Pueblo Zoo spokesperson told News4. His cause of death isn't yet known.
According to the National Zoo, red pandas can live for up to 23 years but show signs of aging when they're about 12 to 14 years old.
Rusty was the first animal to escape from the National Zoo in recent memory — until a female bobcat named Ollie broke out in January 2017.
Stay with NBC Washington for more on this developing story.
