Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium reveals name of new red panda mascot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's new mascot has a name.
After holding a public naming contest, the zoo has settled on Ruby the Red Panda. Turns out, Ruby was one of the most popular suggestions, zoo officials said. They revealed the name on KDKA's Talk Pittsburgh.
"One of the most popular names was Ruby," Alex Cauley, the zoo's public relations and media manager, said. "It has a great tie-in because rubies are actually found in the Himalayas, which is where red pandas are from; where they're indigenous to."
The zoo picked a red panda as its newest ambassador, saying the endangered species is one of its most popular residents. Two red pandas, Xia and Marcy, call the Pittsburgh Zoo home.
The mascot features a coat of red fur, which matches the moss on trees where red pandas live. It also has a black belly, which conceals it from predators below, and the white mask serves as natural sunglasses, the zoo says.
The contest to name the new mascot doubled as a fundraiser. For a minimum $1 donation, the public was able to suggest names. The staff vetted the suggestions before picking Ruby.
"We were able to raise over $800 for the SAFE Red Panda initiative," Cauley said. "That money goes right to conservation work. We want to thank all of the Pittsburghers who donated."
There are as few as 2,500 red pandas left in the wild, with a 50% decline in their population over the last 20 years, the zoo says. The red panda, which lives in Asia's high-altitude forests, has a highly specified diet and ecological niche, which the zoo says makes it more vulnerable to climate change and habitat loss.
The zoo will feature Ruby at a number of upcoming events.
"We're going to have Ruby at all of our events coming up, like Father's Day," Cauley said. "And, when we're out in the community, we'll have Ruby by our side."
Ruby joins two other zoo mascots - Flurry the polar bear and Crash the rhino.