Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Beloved red panda, Carson, is exploring his new habitat! The treetops are alive! First, a tree kangaroo, and now a red panda is exploring the soon-to-open Forest Trailhead. The 12,000-square-foot building and 1-acre grounds are dedicated to the global movement for forest conservation and will open to the community on Friday, May 1, 2026. Zoo members will receive early access during member preview days April 28–30, 2026. Carson, an 11-year-old male red panda who boasts an impressive fan base of his own, is the latest mammal to be introduced to the new habitats in Forest Trailhead. In addition to a red panda, the all-new, interactive and multi-sensory exhibit will be home to tree kangaroos, kea—alpine parrots native to New Zealand—and a variety of reptiles, amphibians and fish species. According to Woodland Park Zoo animal keeper Megan Blandford, Carson is adjusting well in Forest Trailhead’s new Glen...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo If you’ve wandered through the Wildlife Survival Zone in the last week, you may have noticed an adorable new face peering out from atop his pine tree perch. Our newest member of the red panda family has been spotted chasing squirrels, eating pine cones and playfully exploring his new digs. Meet Carson, a 2-year-old, male red panda. Carson was born at Lincoln Children’s Zoo in July 2014 and was named after the famous television host Johnny Carson, who shares the panda’s birth city. Carson arrived at Woodland Park Zoo this February and has been collecting a host of fans ever since. This handsome red panda has a unique look; a paler face, lighter coat and slightly smaller physical features. Carson is a fulgens subspecies of red panda, so he is easy to tell apart from our other two pandas, Yukiko and Stellar. 10-year-old male, Yukiko, and 8-year-old female, Stellar are hang...