Binder Park Zoo Welcomes Two New Fluffy Friends

Do you ever have those moments when your social media algorithm seems to work some scary magic and you'll be talking about something or watching a video in one spot and then you open another app and suddenly something related to that shows up?

Well, today I was watching this cute and silly video of a red panda in China appearing to get scared by a stationary rock. Shortly after I opened up Facebook where I learned there were two absolutely adorable red pandas joining the Binder Park Zoo and got excited all over again.

On May 31st, Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, one of Michigan's largest zoos, announced that two new Red Pandas from the Potawatomi Zoo in Indiana would be joining the Red Panda exhibit, replacing the current Red Pandas EJ and Zin who have been moved to another zoo "to maintain the genetic health and population of endangered species like red pandas" (more on this later).

Meet Justin and Garnet

The two new pandas are an 11-year-old male named Justin and a 3-year-old female named Garnet. They are a breeding pair (awww).

Say hello to Justin,

and give a hearty howdy to Garnet.

Why are red pandas endangered?

According to the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, multiple factors have led to red pandas landing on the endangered species list. These animals require a "unique habitat' that relies on forest cover, lots of bamboo, and a source of water.

However, due to climate change, natural disasters, and most of all, humans destroying their habitats, red pandas have seen significant declines in their populations over the past two decades.

You can view some more photos of these two cuties below. The Binder Park Zoo is open from May 1st to October 27th.