GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A red panda made its highly anticipated debut at John Ball Zoo by showing off his red fur-coat and striped tail.

The red panda, Wyatt, moved into his habitat located in the Forest Realm at the top of the waterfall.

The habitat will be open to the public starting Saturday, Aug. 12.

Red Panda Explores New Habitat Meet Wyatt, the new red panda at the Grand Rapids' John Ball Zoo! Posted by MLive.com on Thursday, August 10, 2017

Meet Wyatt

Age: 5 years old

Weight: bout 8-14 pounds

Life expectancy: 8-10 years in the wild; 13-15 in captivity

Diet: Red Pandas mostly consume bamboo -- but also eat berries, blossoms, eggs and occasionally birds and small vertebrates.

Origin: Wyatt is from the Chattanooga Zoo.

Known for: intelligence

Red pandas are part of the Species Survival Plan breeding programs in accredited zoos. The addition of a red panda will be John Ball Zoo's 35th species under the plan created to save animals from extinction, said zoo spokesperson Krys Bylund.

There are less than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. John Ball Zoo plans on having the solitary male panda for the first year after opening the exhibit. Visitors can see the exhibit at no additional cost to the general admittance fee.

John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Avenue, one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.