Ross Park Zoo's red panda cub Asha finds a temporary home at another New York zoo

One of the Ross Park Zoo's red pandas has been moved to a new home in upstate New York.

Red panda cub Asha was sent to Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, where the staff hopes she'll benefit from being near another cub. The Binghamton zoo's staff had been hand raising Asha after she was not receiving the care she needed to thrive from her mother.

Phillip Ginter, the Binghamton zoo's executive director, said Asha "was missing out on important socialization that can only be achieved by being raised with another red panda cub."

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Ross Park Zoo partnered up with the Red Panda Species Survival Plan program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to devise an appropriate care plan for Asha. The transfer to Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester was the ideal facility since they were in similar situation with a 2½-month-old male cub on site, Teddy Graham.

The cubs are not on display for visitors but will be visible to guests in the zoo's animal hospital on a live cub cam. Once they begin weaning, the cubs will be introduced to an outdoor habitat.

At this point, the zoo expects the transfer to be temporary. Ginter said Asha could spend months in Rochester “developing the critical social skills needed for her to be successful in later life.”

What does this mean for the remaining red pandas at Ross Park Zoo?

There are currently three red pandas being housed at Ross Park Zoo including Asha’s parents, Ferguson and Shenmi. Zoo staff will discuss plans for Asha’s permanent residence in the spring.

“This temporary transfer is an example of Ross Park Zoo's commitment to ensuring the optimal well-being of the animals under our care," Ginter said, "and to continuing to support the important work of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan programs."

The World Wildlife Organization recognizes the red panda as an endangered species due to the rapid increase in deforestation and climate change. Less that 10,000 remain in the wild.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Ross Park Zoo red panda cub relocated to another zoo in New York