By Georgetown Patch Editor Shaun Courtney
Rusty, the Smithsonian National Zoo's red panda, returned to the zoo Tuesday for the first time since his escape and subsequent adventure through DC in June.
Rusty was discovered missing from his exhibit on June 24, and, after searchers spent several hours looking for him, he was found and captured in a residential area of Adams Morgan.
Since his recapture, the male red panda has been staying at a vet hospital for regular check-ups and to make sure he is healthy enough to return to his normal exhibit.
Zoo staff believe Rusty used sagging trees to escape his enclosure so he could eat some nearby bamboo. Zoo staff have made changes to his exhibit and its surroundings, like trimming trees and cutting back or removing nearby bamboo, to prevent the panda from escaping again.
Rusty was new to the zoo when he escaped. He arrived at the zoo around early May and after a 30-day quarantine was released into the exhibit in the first week of June to join Shama, the zoo's female red panda, according to the zoo website.
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