Zoo Knoxville recently announced the names of its two red panda cubs that were born earlier this year in June: Dr. Wallace in honor of Dr. Steven Wallace, and Mr. Darcy after the character from Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Wallace, ETSU professor and director of field operations and curator at Gray Fossil Site and Museum, has made globally significant findings surrounding the fossil history of the red panda through his research and the discovery of ancient red panda fossils in Appalachia at Gray.
Wallace’s work has drawn connections between the extinct Pristinailurus bristoli, named after Larry Bristol, and the modern red panda. Today, Gray Fossil Site has two nearly complete skeletons of the species, one female and one male.
“We continue to learn more about our fossil red panda. And it’s quite a bit different than the living red panda. It’s larger, to give you an example,” Wallace said. “The female is about twice the size of a living red panda, and the male is probably three times the size of a living red panda, so it’s a pretty good size animal. It also looks like ours ate a higher percentage of meat than the living red panda. The living red panda is focused on bamboo, and with ours, because of its teeth, we can tell that it was eating a higher percentage of meat.”
Wallace has published three book chapters, including an updated chapter, with his research in “Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda.”
“What’s really neat about our fossil red panda is that there are a lot of connections between eastern North America and eastern Asia,” Wallace said. “When you look at modern-day plants and animals, we see neat connections between those two areas. And finding a fossil connection that is the same, that has eastern Asian relatives that are related to something in eastern North America, was a big deal because it showed that that connection has been here for a while.”
Zoo Knoxville has one of the most successful breeding programs for red pandas globally, with more than 100 cubs having been born since 1977. Many zoos in America that have red pandas are from or related to those at Zoo Knoxville. The zoo hosts a workshop on raising red pandas, which Wallace has been involved with for many years, sharing his expertise on their fossil history.
Zoo Knoxville is a Saving Animals from Extinction program partner. Through SAFE, they work to spread awareness and increase conservation efforts to help save at-risk animals, including the red panda, which is currently classified as an endangered species.
“I would recommend that people go visit and support their local zoos,” Wallace said. “They really are helping these animals survive in many respects, not only through the breeding program itself, but because their animals go all over the continent. But also just the fact that they’re educating the public. Because when people ask, ‘why should I care about a red panda?’ — being able to see them and connect with them in real life helps. And I feel like that’s really, when you think of a zoo, their job. To educate the public, but also to create that connection that most people don’t have with wild animals.”
