A parallel search for a Missing Panda in the Washington Zoo ends well.
Tina Miller, MA,CFLE stashed this in inspiration
Stashed in: Pandas!
Whew:
The zoo announced Rusty’s disappearance to its thousands of Twitter followers in a message at 11:51 a.m, which was retweeted nearly 3,000 times in an hour.
At midday, mentions of “Rusty” on Twitter nearly equaled those of “Obama.” ABC News started a blog with “live coverage” of the search.
“Please help us find Rusty,” the zoo pleaded on Twitter, explaining that he was last seen at 6 p.m. on Sunday and might be nearby “hiding in a tree.”
On its Facebook page, the zoo said keepers were combing the Asia Trail habitat, where Rusty and Shama live between the Japanese giant salamander and the small-clawed otter, since 8 a.m. But in an ominous note, the zoo said it was possible Rusty had been stolen.
Animal lovers and Internet wits jumped into the fray. In a city that 40 years ago went gaga for a pair of giant pandas sent as gifts from the People’s Republic of China, the top trending topic on Twitter was #redpanda.
“Edward Snowden and Rusty the red panda relaxing on a Havana beach,” wrote J. D. Ross, a communications director at Syracuse University, referring to the American security contractor wanted on spying charges.
“Rusty the Red Panda last seen running away from DC in the direction of a city with a decent restaurant scene,” wrote Josh Barro, the politics editor of Business Insider.
Newt Gingrich, who often detoured from the campaign trail to visit zoos on his 2012 presidential quest (a penguin once nipped his finger), joined the search. “In response to red panda charges, I have an alibi,” he wrote. “Callista and I were feeding our pet elephants all evening (just a joke) help find panda.”
Once again, social media proved itself a powerful dragnet. Around 1:15 p.m., a Washingtonian posted a picture on Twitter of Rusty in a patch of weeds in the Adams Morgan district, not far from the 163-acre zoo, which was created in 1889 by an act of Congress. “Red panda in our neighborhood,” wrote Ashley Foughty, who identified herself as a singer, actress and traveler. “Please come save him!”
Thank goodness for social media.
They're going to have to do a better job with Rusty's cage. He's an ornery old guy.
Hi Adam. I thought you would appreciate this story about a panda!
Yes, I'm glad they found him! Pandas are naughty so it's important to not let them escape.
Both Red Pandas and Giant Pandas are mischievous and devious.
Especially when it comes to sneaking out of cages:
3:06 PM Jun 24 2013