There's a new Red Panda in town
Meet Betsy in Millbrook, virtually
The Hudson Valley is not known for our Red Pandas. Red Pandas are legally protected in their wild habitats of India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar. But in Millbrook, there's not drama let's say, but there has been some Red Panda changes at the Trevor Zoo: Berry has moved on and new-to-town Betsy has moved in with Zhu. There are even rumors of babies coming this spring or summer...
And you can watch these Red Panda connections unfold live from the comfort of your own home.
Red Pandas are one of 10 endangered species housed at the Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, the only AZA accredited zoo located in a high school in the country. "Researchers believe that the total population of Red Pandas has declined by 40 percent over the past two decades and there may be less than 5,000 remaining in the wild."
Like many of our new residents to the Hudson Valley, Betsy was born a city girl at the Philadelphia Zoo in 2015, and after spending some quality time at the Central Park Zoo, as of January 1, she is now residing with her new Red Panda companion, Zhu, in their indoor/outdoor enclosure on the scenic Millbrook School campus. The move is based on a breeding recommendation from the Red Panda Species Survival Plan. Berry, who has been at the Trevor Zoo since 2014, will be moving across the border to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut later this week.
The zoo’s eldest Red Panda, Cyril, is much older than Zhu, in fact he’s much older than many Red Pandas in captivity at 19-years-old! In the wild, Red Pandas typically live to be about 8 to 10 years old, according to the Trevor Zoo. In captivity, their lifespan is ranges around 12 to 14 years old. “So he is way past his life expectancy, but he is healthy and gets around pretty well considering his age.” Cyril is no longer on public exhibit as getting up and down isn’t so easy for him anymore, but he does make a special appearance every once in a while including hanging out in the outdoor marmoset areas (since they don’t go out in the cold) or the outdoor tortoise spot, right in the middle of zoo. (He was there for most of Red Panda Weekend.)
Editor’s note: It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Cyril passed away on February 24, 2021 at the age of 19 years, 7 months and 15 days, according to the staff at the Trevor Zoo. Cyril “fathered more than dozen red panda cubs throughout his lifetime including his last set in June of 2014 when Hope gave birth to cubs Faith and MowMow” at the Trevor Zoo.
The Trevor Zoo staff hopes there's a special connection between the new pair, Betsy and Zhu, and are anticipating "some new red panda cubs this spring or summer."
Check in and see how the Red Pandas, and all the Trevor Zoo animals, are doing on the school's livestreams: https://www.millbrook.org/animals/trevor-zoo-live. Reservations are required to visit the Trevor Zoo in person, which is open daily 10am - 5pm.
Full disclosure: I had the Trevor Zoo Red Panda livestream on all morning, including in the background while I was covering Gov. Cuomo's press conference. I highly recommend checking in to see what these pandas are up to any time of day to brighten your day. TIP: they are most active in the evening and early morning, and love this chilly winter weather!
