Futa (red panda)

Futa (born 2003 in Shizuoka^[1]) is a male red panda (Ailurus fulgens) at the Chiba Zoological Park in Chiba, Japan. In 2005, he became a visitor attraction and a television celebrity in Japan for his ability to stand upright on his hind feet for about ten seconds at a time.^[2][3]

Futa in 2005

At the time, this feat drew about 6,000 visitors to the zoo each weekend and resulted in Futa's appearance in a soft drink television advertisement.^[3] Futa was still at it in 2020, aged 17, equivalent to a human age of 70.^[4]

Futa inspired the character of Pabu, an animal companion in the animated U.S. TV series The Legend of Korra.^[5]

In recent years, Futa's right eye was affected by cataract.^[6]