Miller Park Zoo bids sad farewell to Pallas’s cat, red panda

BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) - Staffers at Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo are mourning the loss of two animals under their care.

Nozomi, a Pallas’s cat, and China, a red panda, were humanely euthanized after suffering separate illnesses, the zoo said in a release.

Zoo staff said Nozomi had been receiving veterinary care for neurological symptoms since early July, but her health continued to decline despite extensive efforts to diagnose and treat her condition.

The zoo reported China was diagnosed in July with an incurable adrenal deficiency disorder known to affect red pandas. China showed signs of improvement after receiving medication and close veterinary monitoring, but her health declined rapidly last week, according to zoo staff.

Both animals were born in 2017, with China having been a longtime Miller Park resident.

Nozomi was born at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, North Dakota, but moved to Miller Park’s ZooLab, where zoo staff said she became a familiar favorite among visitors.

The release said there are no plans to bring additional Pallas’s cats to the zoo, but there are plans to welcome another red panda through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Red Panda Species Survival Plan.

The zoo said red pandas are endangered and native to high-elevation forests from Nepal to China. Habitat loss, poaching and illegal capture are said to threaten their survival. They typically live 12 to 15 years in human care.

Pallas’s cats are native to mountainous shrublands and grasslands across Asia. In the care of humans, they typically live 8 to 11 years, according to the zoo.

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