A Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden employee was injured Friday morning after being scratched by a male red panda that officials say was startled during a routine interaction.
The incident occurred while the employee was conducting morning rounds. Zoo officials said the employee, whose name was not released, was providing care in the red panda habitat when the animal became startled and scratched the worker. The injured employee received medical attention, FOX 19 reported.
An AI-generated alert that went out after the incident “provided an alarming account of what was actually a minor incident during a routine feeding when a red panda got startled and scratched his keeper’s arm,” a spokesperson for the zoo told Newsweek.
“She is fine and so is the red panda,” the spokesperson said. “The AI alert used the word “attack,” which is not at all an accurate description of what happened.”
How Big Are Red Pandas?
A red panda is a small, tree‑dwelling mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Despite its name, it is not closely related to the giant panda.
Red pandas are between 1.5 and 2 feet long, with reddish-brown fur, a round face, white facial markings, and a long, bushy, ringed tail that helps with balance and warmth. They are strong climbers and spend much of their lives in trees.
Their diet is made up mostly of bamboo, though they also eat fruit, insects, eggs and small mammals. Red pandas are generally shy and solitary, becoming more active at dawn and dusk.
The species is considered endangered, with populations threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. Many zoos participate in conservation and breeding programs aimed at protecting red pandas in the wild.
Are Red Pandas Aggressive?
Red pandas are generally shy, gentle, and solitary animals. In the wild, they prefer to avoid people and other animals, spending most of their time in trees and staying active mainly at dawn and dusk.
Red pandas can bite or scratch if frightened—especially given their sharp teeth and claws—but this is considered a last‑resort response, not typical behavior.
In managed settings like zoos, caretakers are trained with this temperament in mind, and incidents remain rare. For the general public, red pandas pose little risk and are not considered dangerous animals.
How Many Red Pandas Does the Cincinnati Zoo Have?
The zoo has four red pandas, the spokesperson told Newsweek. A breeding pair is kept in one yard, and two female red pandas are kept in another yard.
The incident with the red panda and zoo employee will not disrupt the zoo’s normal operations. The zoo is open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
