A drone was used Friday morning in the ongoing search for Sunny, a red panda missing from the Virginia Zoo.
Sunny, an 18-month-female, was reported missing on Tuesday morning. She was last seen in her enclosure on Monday at 5 p.m., according to zoo staff.
Friday’s drone searched an area behind the zoo’s Asian Animals exhibit, but the footage has yet to be reviewed, according to a Norfolk news release.
While the zoo will continue to search for Sunny internally, the release states there will not be another public search for the panda; however the zoo encourages people to continue searching for Sunny in their own backyards and neighborhoods.
Sunny has a reddish-brown coat and a long tail, much like a raccoon. Red pandas are not considered aggressive, but anyone who spots Sunny should not touch, feed or capture her.
Anyone who sees Sunny should call the zoo’s hotline at 757-777-8799.
