CT's Beardsley Zoo's Natt Family Red Panda Habitat Is Now Open to the Public

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Director, Gregg Dancho, Board Member Bob Natt and the extended Natt family officially cut a red ribbon Oct. 13 and opened The Natt Family Red Panda Habitat to the public. The new habitat gives the Zoo’s Red pandas a spacious new home. The building was made possible by two substantial donations: from Bob and Helen Natt of Easton, and a matching grant for monies raised by supporter donations from the Werth Family Foundation. 

The new habitat for Rochan and Meri, the Zoo’s Red panda pair, offers guests viewing areas into the much larger living quarters, one into the outdoor exhibit and one into the building. The Red pandas, who prefer cooler temperatures, can choose to be in air conditioning in warm weather, and can enter and exit the building at their discretion. The new habitat features a yard landscaped with bamboo (Rochan and Meri eat approximately 2,000 bamboo leaves daily!), with plenty of treetop spots for sunbathing. 

Natt attributed his initial interest in building the Red panda habitat to a request from his grandchildren, and said,” The outcome is beyond anything we expected. The habitat is absolutely gorgeous. We’re very happy to have the opportunity to help the Zoo.” 

Dancho noted that the habitat was named for the Natt Family due to their extreme generosity. He thanked the Natts for their support, along with key members of the Zoo staff who worked on the building as it was designed and constructed, including Deputy Director Don Goff, Animal Curator Rob Tomas, and members of the Zoo’s board of directors. 

“The new habitat put animal welfare first, and gives the Red pandas free choice about whether to be outside or inside,” Dancho continued. “Part of our Zoo’s mission is working to protect endangered species and to educate our guests about them.” 

Originally a temporary visitor while his habitat at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Mass., was undergoing renovations, Rochan became a permanent member of the Zoo family in October, 2015. Meri, short for Meriadoc, arrived in February 2018 from the Brandywine Zoo in Delaware. Red pandas are vulnerable in the wild, with fewer than 10,000 adult Red pandas in existence. As a result, they are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which manages specific, typically threatened or endangered species populations. Inter-regional transfers are managed by the SSP in the hope that successful breeding will take place. 

Natt, who is recently retired, was formerly Executive Chairman of Alegeus, a Boston-area based health care payments technology company.  

The Werth Family Foundation has repeatedly supported the Zoo through generous grants. Some of the programs they have underwritten include the Amur Leopard Exhibit, the Seasonal Country Fair Exhibit, and Zoo Educational Programs. 

About Red Pandas

Red pandas (Allurus fulgens fulgens)resemble raccoons, are solitary animals, and are nocturnal by nature. Like their larger and better-known black and white cousins, Red pandas primarily eat bamboo but will occasionally eat fruits, berries, young leaves, and certain tree bark. Rochan, which means “light,” “brilliant,” and “celebrated” in Hindi, is four years old, and weighs nearly 15 pounds. Meri, a three year old, was named for Meriadoc Brandybuck, a character in J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings. 

Red pandas are not true pandas, rather, they are a unique species whose name “panda” is derived from a Nepalese word, ”ponya,” meaning “eater of bamboo.” Like many in the Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s animal collection, the Red panda is threatened in the wild by territory loss and fragmentation, resource depletion, and are frequently hunted for their beautiful fur. 

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Spend the day a world away! Connecticut's only zoo, celebrating its 96thanniversary, features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Guests won't want to miss our Giant anteaters, Amur (Siberian) tigers and tiger cubs, Amur leopards, Brazilian ocelot, Red wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with "pop-up" viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, deer, and more. Guests can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit beardsleyzoo.org.

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Submitted by Norwalk, CT

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