Despite having only been at the Akron Zoo a short time (and the fact that our guests have not yet had the opportunity to meet her in person), our red panda Lulu has been an Akron Zoo favorite since we announced her arrival late last year! Her sweet face, fluffy tail and outgoing personality made her a shoe-in for this year’s Akron Zoo Top Animal of 2021.

Lulu and her sisters, Coco and Penny, were born July 11, 2019 at the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri. When the triplets were born, the Kansas City Zoo encouraged local elementary schools to compete in a fundraising contest to choose their names. The top three schools each got to name a cub, and funds were donated to the Red Panda Network, which benefits red pandas in their native habitat. Lulu, short for Louise, was chosen by James Lewis Elementary School, who came in second place for raising $643.83 for the program.

Lulu is the boldest of our three red panda sisters. She has a sweet and outgoing personality, though she also has a knack for getting into trouble. Her sisters are more cautious, but Lulu doesn’t let them hold her back from exploring new people, places and things. The three can often be seen wrestling and playing together; that is, when they aren’t taking their afternoon nap. The three are also incredibly picky eaters, though they thoroughly enjoy bamboo, and Lulu particularly loves grapes.

Lulu and her sisters star in our YouTube series, Panda Palace, which follows their everyday routine and gives guests an inside look at the triplets’ lives. This series allows our guests to “meet” the triplets and learn more about red pandas, even before Lehner Family Foundation Wild Asia opens to the public.

Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas - primarily India, Nepal and Bhutan. They can be identified by their unique red fur, which helps them to blend in with the clumps of reddish-brown moss and white lichens in the tree canopy. Sadly, red pandas face serious endangerment and the population has declined by as much as 50% over the last three generations thanks to pelt hunting, agricultural encroachment and climate change. It is our hope that as part of the Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Akron Zoo will continue to provide a safe home for Lulu and her sisters so that guests can enjoy this species for years to come.

So congratulations, Lulu! Be sure to swing by the zoo after May 29 to meet Lulu and her sisters in person, and check out more than 1,000 other animals from around the world.