Red pandas Cedar and Spruce explore the Zoo’s new Red Panda Forest.
Have you heard? Red pandas are back at the Minnesota Zoo! Red Panda Forest, an exciting new habitat along the Minnesota Zoo’s Northern Trail, opened to guests in summer 2025.
Red pandas aren’t the only new faces in town. This multispecies habitat also features tufted deer and red-crowned cranes. And it’s all thanks to charitable estate gifts from Zoo lovers like you.
A tufted deer enjoys the habitat’s trees.
This new habitat was fully funded by bequests to the Minnesota Zoo Foundation. We are proud to honor the legacies of our bequest donors, whose generosity made it possible for us to welcome our red pandas, tufted deer, and red-crowned crane to a state-of-the-art shared habitat that mirrors their natural ecosystems.
Red pandas are an endangered species native to the high-altitude forests of the Himalayas, and the red-crowned cranes and tufted deer dwell in similar habitats.
With triple the recommended space for red pandas living in human care, Red Panda Forest also provides ample room for tufted deer to weave through trees, and a large wading pond for red-crowned cranes to take a mid-day dip.
We would be happy to discuss how your legacy could bring new habitats to the Minnesota Zoo. Contact our Office of Planned Giving at 952.431.9237 or plannedgiving@mnzoo.org to discuss your options.