GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There comes a time when children leave their childhood home and move on to create their own futures – and that time has come for John Ball Zoo’s red panda cubs, Rose, Ruby and Willow.
The three cubs will move to a zoo in Tennessee for the next period of their lives, according to a news release Thursday.
John Ball Zoo participates in the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, the goal of which is to maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations of red pandas in human care at AZA institutions.
Since red pandas are endangered, maintaining healthy populations of them is important for the future of the species.
“Though we are incredibly sad to see them go, it has been a memorable highlight for many watching these three through their first year of life,” John Ball Zoo said in a statement.
Guests will be able to see the cubs in the red panda habitat at John Ball Zoo through Aug. 22.
