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BRIAN, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
>> Reporter: WELL, WOLF, RUSTY,
THE RED PANDA, GAVE ZOO
OFFICIALS QUITE A SCARE FOR
SEVERAL HOURS TODAY.
THEY FINALLY CAUGHT A BREAK WHEN
A LOCAL RESIDENT SPOTTED HIM,
CALLED THEM AND TWEETED A PHOTO.
BUT RUSTY HAD GOTTEN MORE THAN A
HALF A MILE AWAY AND INTO A BUSY
NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE HE WAS
FINALLY SECURED.
CAPTURED, CRATED, ON THE WAY
HOME.
RUSTY THE RED PANDA, NOT EVEN A
YEAR OLD MISSING FROM
WASHINGTON'S NATIONAL ZOO FOR
SEVERAL HOURS.
HE MADE HIS WAY INTO A BUSY
NEIGHBORHOOD OFF ZOO GROUNDS
BEFORE BEING CAPTURED SAFELY.
BRANDY SMITH, A SENIOR ZOO
CURATOR INVOLVED IN THE CAPTURE
TELLS HOW A ZOO TEAM LURED HIM
INTO THEIR GRASP AFTER
SURROUNDING HIM.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO WALK UP TO
HIM.
WE SENT THE KEEPERS WITH WHICH
HE'S MOST FAMILIAR.
SO THE KEEPERS CALLED HIS NAME.
HE WAS FAMILIAR TO THEM.
THEY CALMED HIM DOWN.
WE WERE ABLE TO APPROACH HIM
WITH A NET, CAPTURE HIM IN A
NET, TRANSFER HIM TO A CRATE,
AND THEN WE JUST TOOK HIM TO OUR
VETERINARY HOSPITAL.
>> Reporter: RED PANDAS ARE
LISTED AS VULNERABLE WITH 10,000
OF THEM OR LESS IN THE WORLD.
RUSTY WAS BORN IN CAPTIVITY.
COULD HE HAVE SURVIVED ON HIS
OWN?
WE ASKED SMITH WHAT DANGERS HE
FACED OUTSIDE THE ZOO.
>> I THINK THE BIGGEST DANGER IS
IF HE ATE ANY INAPPROPRIATE
FOOD.
>> ANYTHING OTHER THAN BAMBOO OR
ANY OTHER FOOD PREPARED BY HIS
KEEPERS.
FOR THE MOMENT, ZOO OFFICIALS
SAY RUSTY HAS NO VISIBLE SIGNS
OF INJURY OR ILLNESS.
WE PRESSED A ZOO SPOKESWOMAN ON
ANOTHER KEY QUESTION.
HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU LOSE A
RED PANDA?
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
>> WELL, WE DON'T KNOW RIGHT
NOW.
COMPLETE HONESTY.
WE DO NOT KNOW.
THAT HABITAT HAS HOUSED RED
PANDAS FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
NO ONE HAS ESCAPED FROM IT
BEFORE.
THE HABITAT IS CONSTRUCTED TO
KEEP RED PANDAS IN AND TO KEEP
PEOPLE OUT.
>> Reporter: A POSSIBLE CLUE,
RED PANDAS ARE NATURAL CLIMBERS,
TREE DWELLERS.
COULD RUSTY HAVE USED A TREE TO
CLIMB OUT OF THIS EXHIBIT BEHIND
ME?
ZOO OFFICIALS SAY THEIR
HORTICULTURAL TEAM CAME HERE
AFTER HE ESCAPED AND FOUND NO
OBVIOUS ROUTE OUT, BUT THEY'RE
NOT RULING IT OUT AS A
POSSIBILITY, AND ONE POSSIBILITY
COULD BE RIGHT HERE.
YOU SEE THE ELECTRIC FENCE.
THE EXHIBIT SON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THAT FENCE.
THERE IS A TREE UP THERE ON ONE
SIDE OF THE ELECTRIC FENCE THAT
HANGS OVER.
THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE
ESCAPE ROUTES.
ZOO OFFICIALS SAY THEY'LL LOOK
AT SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, DO THE
BEST THEY CAN TO TRACE RUSTY'S
MOVEMENTS BETWEEN 6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY WHEN HE WAS LAST SIGHTED
AND 7:30 MONDAY MORNING WHEN
THEY NOTICED HIM GONE.
>> WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT EVERY
ASPECT OF THE EXHIBIT.
WE WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN
AGAIN.
>> Reporter: EVEN THOUGH RUSTY
SHOWS NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF INJURY
OR ILLNESS RIGHT NOW, ZOO
OFFICIALS SAY THEY'RE GOING TO
KEEP HIM IN THEIR VETERINARY
HOSPITAL FOR AT LEAST A FEW DAYS
TO MONITOR HIM BEFORE THEY'RE
PUTTING HIM BACK INTO HIS
EXHIBIT WITH HIS FEMALE PARTNER
SHAUNA.
>> HAVE THEY MENTIONED ANY OTHER
POSSIBILITIES OTHER THAN HIM
CLIMBING A TREE AND ESCAPING?
>> Reporter: THEY SAID THEY'RE
GOING TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING,
INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY THAT A
HUMAN BEING COULD HAVE LURED HIM
OUT AND MAYBE TAKEN HIM BEFORE
MAYBE DITCHING HIM IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD SOMEWHERE.
THAT'S NOT OUT OF THE REALM OF
POSSIBILITY IN A SITUATION LIKE
THIS.
THIS PARK IS STILL OPEN, EVEN
AFTER DARK.
IT'S NOT HARD TO GET IN HERE,