John Ball Zoo helps launch program to save red pandas

Matt Jaworowski
·2 min read
John Ball Zoo helps launch program to save red pandas

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The John Ball Zoo has housed red pandas for years now, but now the zoo is officially a founding member of a national program to save the endangered animal.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has launched its 41st SAFE species program, this time targeting the red panda. The Saving Animals From Extinction species program brings institutions from across the world together to partner on breeding programs and share best practices.

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Jaime Racalla, the animal care supervisor at John Ball Zoo, called it an honor to be included in this latest program.

“John Ball Zoo has supported the conservation of red pandas for years, and participating in the SAFE species program will allow us to have even more of a direct impact,” Racalla said in a statement.

John Ball Zoo welcomes two new red panda cubs

In addition to its breeding program, featuring Wyatt and Wasabi, John Ball Zoo also provides support to the Red Panda Network, which plants thousands of trees to create more red panda habitat and provide fuel-efficient wood stoves for nearby homes to limit deforestation.

“These initiatives support the creation and protection of habitats that are critical to red pandas,” John Ball Zoo conservation manager Bill Flanagan stated. “Additionally, they also support the health and well-being of local communities and carry our mission of preserving wildlife and wild places across the world.”

  • Red panda triplets Rose, Ruby and Willow. (courtesy John Ball Zoo)
    Red panda triplets Rose, Ruby and Willow. (courtesy John Ball Zoo)
  • An undated photo of a red panda at John Ball Zoo. (Courtesy John Ball Zoo)
    An undated photo of a red panda at John Ball Zoo. (Courtesy John Ball Zoo)
  • red pandas wyatt wasabi john ball zoo 050919_1557412607734.png.jpg
    red pandas wyatt wasabi john ball zoo 050919_1557412607734.png.jpg
  • Wyatt red panda john ball zoo 1_364902
    Wyatt red panda john ball zoo 1_364902
  • John Ball Zoo red panda Wasabi gets an ultrasound. (June 12, 2020)
    John Ball Zoo red panda Wasabi gets an ultrasound. (June 12, 2020)
  • A courtesy photo of John Ball Zoo’s triplet red panda cubs.
    A courtesy photo of John Ball Zoo’s triplet red panda cubs.
  • The female (left) and male (right) red panda cubs born at John Ball Zoo in July 2023. (Courtesy of John Ball Zoo)
    The female (left) and male (right) red panda cubs born at John Ball Zoo in July 2023. (Courtesy of John Ball Zoo)

Red pandas are considered endangered. There are believed to be fewer than 2,500 adults in the wild, with the population decline blamed on the destruction of the bamboo forests where they live in the Himalayan Mountains.

John Ball Zoo welcomed Wyatt, its first red panda, in 2017. He was born at the Bronx Zoo in 2012 before being moved to Grand Rapids. His mate, Wasabi, was born in 2017 at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska. She was transferred to John Ball Zoo for a breeding program in 2019.

The two had their first litter in 2020, giving birth to three cubs. Those babies — Rose, Ruby and Willow — were moved to a zoo in Tennessee as part of the red panda’s “Species Survival Plan.” The two had a second litter of two cubs last July.

Wyatt also fathered two cubs with a different mate before coming to John Ball Zoo in 2017.

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