SEATTLE — The new Disney-Pixar film 'Turning Red' tells the story of a little girl who transforms into a cuddly red panda. No doubt young viewers will be interested in learning more about these fascinating creatures, so we checked in with Woodland Park Zoo lead zookeeper, John Samaras, to tell us more.
"A lot of people don't even know red pandas exist," Samaras said.
Red pandas, found in the bamboo forests of central Asia, are much smaller than their better-known (and very distantly related) cousins, the giant pandas. These tree-dwellers are as friendly as they are adorable.
"Pretty cool characters, I would say," Samaras said. "For the most part, red pandas are really mellow animals. They tend to be kind of slow-moving animals. They take a little bit to think and process things as they navigate their environment.
Woodland Park's star resident, "Carson," is worldwide-famous.
"I have met several visitors that actually came from Japan just to see Carson," Samaras said.
Sadly, the biggest threat to red pandas is humans.
"With deforestation, habitat loss, and also poaching, they are an endangered species," he said.
Only about 10,000 red pandas survive in the wild.
You can support the conservation of these amazing creatures through the Red Panda Network.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.