Red panda pair to debut new digs at Happy Hollow
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo’s two newest residents, endangered red pandas Will Smith and Gaila, and their swanky new digs will be unveiled to the public this weekend.
The enclosure in the park’s lower zoo was originally home to African penguins and has since been used to house a pygmy hippo, a muntjac and Happy Hollow’s bees. Known as Sean’s Sanctuary — donor Patty O’Malley dedicated it to her son — the space has been spruced up with Himalayan dogwood, magnolia and sweet osmanthus, all plants from their native habitat in South Asia.
There are elevated walkways and shady spots, as well as an eye-catching structure called the Night House, a spacious critter condo where
the pandas can retreat during hot weather, hanging out and munching bamboo. Its stone facade, which includes the Buddhist symbol called an Endless Knot, was created by Tom Trafton, the longtime designer and builder for the city of San Jose who has worked on several features for Happy Hollow and Christmas in the Park.
“What we try to do is tie in the cultural symbolism of the areas where the animals come from,” zoo Director Valerie Riegel said. “The symbol of the Endless Knot interweaves wisdom and compassion, which is like the spirit of our conservation efforts.”
Gaila, a 5-year-old red panda, is on loan to Happy Hollow from the Kansas City Zoo, so she probably appreciates the Bay Area weather. Will Smith — he’s named for the “Independence Day” actor because he was born July 4, 2015 — is younger and loves exploring his environment, so you can expect him to be quite the star when the pair meet the public this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, Happy Hollow’s welcome will feature special activities, including red panda educational presentations and crafts, sampling the foods the pandas eat and special red panda feedings throughout the day. There also will be new red panda glitter tattoos and face painting available, and the Picnic Basket eatery will serve up red velvet pancakes until noon and a chicken tikka masala lunch.
Members can arrive at 9 a.m., with the park opening to the public at 10 a.m. Go to www.hhpz.org for more details.
CLOSE ENCOUNTER: Russell Hancock, CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, had an animal sighting of a different sort Monday. He was crossing a dry creek bed on the Los Trancos trail in Palo Alto’s Foothills Park & Preserve when he came face-to-face with a mountain lion standing about eight feet away.
“We studied each other for about 30 seconds, each wondering if the other might be hostile,” Hancock posted on Facebook. “Then we slowly parted ways, him up the mountain, me tiptoeing back to the valley. It was amazing, and — surprisingly — not frightening.”
Of course, Hancock hopes this was just a oncein-a-lifetime experience.
SUPER STOMPERS: Dale and Jennifer Marcum of Los Gatos were once again victorious in the Calaveras Grape Stomp held in Murphys last weekend. The couple beat a field of 120 two-person teams to win the competition for the fourth consecutive year (and for the fifth time in the eight years they’ve tried).
The Marcums’ stomping supremacy is so impressive that they’ve been inducted into the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance’s Hall of Fame. They were presented with a trophy while in “mid-stomp” Saturday, but it didn’t slow ’em down.