Rusty has been found!

[Are_grits_groceries]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Animal keepers from the National Zoo captured a red panda in a Washington neighborhood Monday after it went missing from its enclosure at the zoo.

The male named Rusty was captured in a bush in the Adams Morgan neighborhood on Monday afternoon, said National Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson. The animal was being taken to the zoo's animal hospital for a checkup.
<snip>
Red pandas are highly territorial, so zoo officials did not believe he would have traveled far. Rusty, it seems, wanted to explore his new city.

Animal keepers discovered he was missing Monday morning and started searching the zoo at 8 a.m. Residents in the surrounding neighborhoods may have been on the lookout as well as photos were posted on Twitter just before the animal was caught.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/red-panda-goes-missing-dcs-national-zoo

Yay!

[montanacowboy]

1. News said he had to have crossed Rock Cr Parkway

to be found where he was - now that is one busy place, wonder if he did it on his own or someone was trying to steal him and he got away. Glad he is back.

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. Anywhere around the zoo is crazy.

However he made it out, he went to a place where people spotted him and kept reporting. I was worried some mook was going to hurt him for the hell of it.

[pinboy3niner]

7. I pictured him having pizza at the Zebra Room

But apparently that restaurant is no longer there.

[pinboy3niner]

2. FREE RUSTY!!!

Oppose persecution by Big Brother!!!

[NaturalHigh]

3. I hope the little guy is okay.

He's probably ready for a good stiff drink by now.

[NoPasaran]

4. Oh, it's a Panda

I thought Snowden had acquired a new nickname in the past hour.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. yay

[ehrnst]

8. Like so many other visitors to Adams Morgan...

Rusty wound up heavily sedated, in official custody and heading for a cell.