5-year-old red panda Lea has died at the Brookfield Zoo | Main stories

CHICAGO (NBC CHICAGO) – The Brookfield Zoo announced Wednesday that Leo, its 5-year-old red panda, has died suddenly.

Leo arrived at Brookfield in 2018 and “quickly won the hearts of his zookeepers and zoo patrons,” according to the zoo’s Twitter account.

The zoo added that Leo loved spending time with his trainers.

Leo also liked to chew dried cranberries and play with paper boxes. With the cooler months approaching, Leo has remained especially active, continuing to explore his habitat at Hamill Family Wild Encounters, the zoo said.

The zoo noted that one of Leo’s specialties was painting on canvas.

“Leo will be greatly missed by the zoo’s animal care professionals and guests,” the zoo said in a social media post.