Oregon Zoo's red panda Moshu turns 13

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Moshu, the Oregon Zoo’s iconic red panda, turned 13 on Thursday.

To commemorate the event, the zoo posted a video of him on X smacking his lips while eating some apple slices atop a "cake," calling him "Sir Snacks-a-lot."

Moshu originally came to the Oregon Zoo from the Nashville Zoo when he was 7 years old, where he was reunited with his longtime companion Mei Mei. In 2020, he fathered a cub when Mei Mei gave birth to Pabu. However, in February 2021, the zoo announced that Mei Mei and Pabu had moved to ZooMontana in Billings.

Red pandas are known to live past 20 years, but at his current age, Moshu is actually considered "geriatric." The aging red panda was also diagnosed with severe heart disease back in early April.

This brought some changes to Moshu’s routine, according to the zoo, like getting cold laser therapy for pain and taking a new medication. Even so, he still enjoys apple snacks during training sessions, soaked biscuits, bamboo, and plenty of naps.

“It’s a blessing to work with Moshu every day,” said Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey, a keeper who regularly works with Moshu. “Keepers working to make his everyday quality. We just want to make every day as comfortable as possible.”