Brookfield Zoo announced Wednesday that Leo, its 5-year-old red panda, died suddenly.
Leo arrived at Brookfield's grounds in 2018 and "quickly won over the hearts of his caretakers and zoo patrons," the zoo said in a Tweet.
The zoo added Leo was known to be quite fond of spending time with his trainers.
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Leo also enjoyed munching on dried cranberries and playing with paper boxes. As cooler months dawned, Leo remained especially active, continuing to explore throughout his habitat at Hamill Family Wild Encounters, the zoo said.
The zoo noted one of Leo's specialities was painting on canvas.
"Leo will be greatly missed by his animal care specialists and zoo guests alike," the zoo said in the social media post.
