In this Oct. 4, 2016 photo provided by the Virginia Zoo, Sunny, a Red Panda, appears in her habitat at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Va. Zoo spokeswoman Ashley Grove Mars said Sunny, was in her habitat on the evening of Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, but could not be found Tuesday morning. (Virginia Zoo via AP) (The Associated Press)
NORFOLK, Va. – The search for Sunny, the missing red panda, has spanned wide distances, but authorities believe the tree-dwelling animal probably hasn't left the grounds of the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.
Newport News sheriff's deputy Tommy Blyth told The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/2jbIECD ) on Thursday that search dogs haven't given any indication that Sunny has left zoo property.
Zoo marketing manager Ashley Mars says the search dogs after focusing on an exhibit known as Asia — The Trail of The Tiger. About 80 people searched the area around the zoo prior to the dog search.
The zoo also received about 20 calls of possible sightings by Wednesday night, but all turned out to be raccoons.
The 19-month-old red panda was last seen Monday evening and was reported missing Tuesday morning.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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