Utah's Hogle Zoo is welcoming a new red panda, Priya, who is arriving to breed with Mow Mow, the zoo's eight-year-old resident male.
Priya came from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado as part of a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Red Panda Species Survival Plan.
At four years old, Priya is in her prime reproduction time.
Priya and Mow Mow will live together on public display in Asian Highlands for guests to learn about the rare species and how to protect red pandas in the wild.
Red pandas live in Nepal, China, and Myanmar at high elevations where bamboo is abundant, as it can make up 95 percent of their diet.
In fact, the name panda means "bamboo eater."
They most closely resemble raccoons—despite their name—and are unrelated to giant pandas.
Worldwide population estimates range from fewer than 2,500 to between 16,000 and 20,000.
Click here to learn more about these animals and conservation efforts to protect them.
