Pittsburgh Zoo seeks name suggestions for new mascot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Zoo is getting a mascot, and they're asking the public for help naming it.
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.
"It's one of our top exhibits here at the zoo, definitely a beloved member of our zoo community and the red panda is the number one best seller in our gift shops. So it was a no-brainer to go with a red panda," said Alex Cauley, the zoo's public relations and media manager.
A contest to name the mascot will double as a fundraiser. For a minimum $1 donation, the public can suggest names until May 17. The staff will vet the suggestions and announce the winner on May 31.
Proceeds from the contest will go towards the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's SAFE Red Panda program, which coordinates zoos with conservation efforts in the field.
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 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 Pittsburgh Zoo will be debuting the mascot soon, and people can visit Xia and Marcy in the Forest Passage area.
