Red Panda Escapes National Zoo, Gets Recaptured

Earlier today or late yesterday, Rusty the Red Panda escaped from his enclosure at the National Zoo, but was found today in a Washington, DC neighborhood.  He's now back at the zoo and appears to be none the worst for his brief adventure.

Red pandas share the giant panda's ability to grip objects, because the digits on their paws can oppose an extension of their wrist.  However, while the giant panda is a member of the bear family, red pandas have their own family, the ailuridae.

Read more at the New York Post, the Christian Science Monitor, NBC News and DCist.

Well, what do you know.  As reported by ViralRead, Rusty seems to have gotten a Twitter account.