The Columbus Zoo in Ohio said visitors helped find a red panda that zookeepers discovered was missing on Wednesday.
According to the zoo, visitors notified the zoo that they had spotted Kora, the red panda, around 4:43 p.m. on Thursday near the panda's habitat. The zoo said that after trying to coax the red panda down from a tree, the zoo used a tranquilizer.
"Amid clapping and happy tears from Zoo team members, the sleeping Kora was placed in her crate and taken to the Zoo’s Animal Health Center for evaluation where she was provided care and given a clean bill of health," the zoo said. "Kora has since been returned to her habitat in Asia Quest, where she will have the opportunity to reunite with her cubs when she wakes. Her care team will continue their overnight watch to ensure they continue to do well, and red panda father, General Tso, will have the opportunity to join them in the morning."
The zoo said that the panda didn't pose a threat to the public, but was “eager” to find her.
The zoo said that it had moved all of its Asia Quest animals to indoor habitats as officials continue to scour the zoo. The panda had not been seen since Tuesday evening.
The red panda is roughly the size of a racoon, and is not a threatening animal. She has two nursing cubs, and the zoo said it had to feed her cubs by using a specialized formula while she was missing.
The zoo is one of the busiest in the United States, attracting nearly 2.5 million visitors a year.
