CHIBA -- The red panda Futa, which has captured the nation's attention for the way it stands on two legs, will turn 15 years old on Thursday at Chiba Zoological Park in Chiba. Red pandas are also known as lesser pandas.
According to a zoo official, Futa is in his 70s or 80s in human years and has great-great-grandchildren. Even now, Futa's unique way of standing during feeding time attracts visitors to the Chiba zoo. His birthday party will be held on Thursday.
Futa was born in July 2003 at Nihondaira Zoo in Shizuoka and came to the Chiba zoo the following year. In Spring 2005, newspaper articles about Futa sparked a nationwide boom. Futa's penchant for standing for several tens of seconds after eating bamboo grass -- as if surveying his surroundings -- attracted a good deal of interest, with about 7,000 visitors a day packing Chiba zoo around that time.
"There are many visitors to see Futa," zookeeper Masahira Hamada said. "I want Futa to stay healthy for as long as possible."
Several birthday events are scheduled for Thursday.
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