Our beloved Cape May County Zoo has a new resident guaranteed to melt your heart. Ember, a 9-month-old red panda, arrived earlier this month and is already making quite the impression on both keepers and visitors alike.
The young panda came to Cape May from the Trevor Lovejoy Zoo at Millbrook School in Millbrook, New York. While she's still adjusting to her new surroundings, zoo keepers report that Ember is showing a delightful mix of curiosity and caution as she explores her habitat.
According to zoo staff, Ember has already developed some charming habits. She's particularly fond of her enrichment activities and has shown a playful tendency to make a mess—behavior that keepers find endearing as she settles into her new home in the panda yard and indoor space.
Ember joins Aurora, the zoo's current red panda resident, creating a dynamic duo that visitors can now enjoy. These captivating creatures are native to the Eastern Himalayan Mountains in Asia, where they inhabit forested regions and survive primarily on a bamboo diet.
Here's a fun fact that might surprise you: red pandas were actually documented and named half a century before their giant panda cousins, making them the true original pandas. Despite their name and bamboo-eating habits, red pandas are more closely related to raccoons than to giant pandas.
Families looking for a delightful outing can visit Ember and Aurora at Cape May County Zoo daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The zoo continues to offer free admission, making it an accessible destination for our community to connect with wildlife and support conservation efforts.
As Ember continues to acclimate to her new home, she represents not just an adorable addition to our local zoo, but also an important ambassador for her species. Red pandas face threats in the wild, making facilities like Cape May County Zoo crucial for education and conservation awareness.
