Almost everyone in Tucson has been to the Reid Park Zoo at least once and it seems that we all love to visit the beautiful animals that we wouldn’t normally see in the desert. However, after going over and over again to see the same creatures, it’s no secret that it can become a little bland and make us hope for more animals to come to our zoo. That’s where Princess Lily will swoop in and save the day.

Lily, a beautiful western red panda, is the newest addition to Reid Park and everyone adores her. While she is already notorious for spending the majority of her time laying peacefully on a branch, she is sure to steal your heart. She is just the first of two red pandas that will arrive at the zoo.

In case you’re like most people, you probably don’t know much about red pandas or even what they are exactly. Well to start off, they are not pandas and are actually more closely related to raccoons and look extremely unique. The reason that they’ve adopted the name “panda” is because they primarily eat bamboo, similar to your typical black and white giant panda. However, they are very different from pandas as seen in their looks and behaviors.

Some of the oddest things about red pandas is that they love sugar and make tweeting noises. If that doesn’t add to your desire to see her, I don’t know what will.

Unfortunately, the two adorable fur-balls will only be here until March because they will be moving to their permanent home in Utah. So to put it in simple terms, you need to see her asap!