Playback ’05] “Ours Will Stand, Too” Even in the Nationwide Red Panda Boom, “Futa-kun” Was Unique and Unique

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we revisit the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will look back at the “Urgent coverage of Chiba, Nagano, Hiroshima, Fukuoka…” from the June 10, 2005 issue, which was published 20 years ago, and see the uproar over the unusual poses of animals!　Lesapan” stands up when it wants to stand up! The following is an introduction to the “Lesappan” series.

The “standing red panda” boom swept Japan in May 2005. The article is based on comments made to this magazine by Masanori Hata (died in 2011 at the age of 87), known as “Mutsugoro,” a novelist and animal researcher, about the “red panda boom. All ages and titles are current as of the time of the article).

Mutsukuro was surprised by the boom

It has been a long time, everyone. I am Masanori Hata, a.k.a. Mutsugoro. I am Mutsugoro, a.k.a. Masanori Hata. I just came back from Sao Paulo today, and I had no idea. The “upright red panda” has become a big hit.

The trigger for the boom was an article in the Asahi Shimbun dated May 19, 2005, titled “The red panda can stand up. It was triggered by a photo of Futa (male, 2 years old), a red panda at the Chiba City Zoological Park, standing upright on his two legs. Futa’s standing posture was also introduced on TV and other media, and the park was in great demand day after day. Following the news, zoos in Nagano, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and other areas reported that their own red pandas were also standing, creating a “red panda boom” throughout Japan. Nevertheless, the popularity of Futa-kun, the original red panda, did not wane because he was “special,” according to Mutsukoro.

Actually, it is not unusual for a red panda to stand

But even so, Futa-kun is a very beautiful panda. He is also very beautiful standing up! Other red pandas can stand for only about five seconds at most with their hands raised, but Futa-kun stands on two legs with his back straight and knees extended. But Futa-kun can stand for more than 30 seconds with his back straight and his knees straight. As a matter of fact, his mother, Nala, who lives in Nihondaira Zoo in Shizuoka City, can also stand up, as can his grandfather, Lon Lon, who lives in Asa Zoological Park in Hiroshima City. Futa-kun is a true upright panda that has been in the family for three generations.

In fact, it is not unusual for red pandas to stand up.

Basically, red pandas are genetically predisposed to stand up. They have good ears, but they also have good eyesight. They have the habit of standing up and looking into the distance. I guess it’s just that this habit has not been shown until now.

Futa’s popularity at the time was so great that the number of visitors to the Chiba City Zoological Park increased from 660,000 in the previous year to 800,000 in 2005. The outdoor exhibition space was so crowded with people that the zookeepers could not even observe Futa-kun from outside. Mutsukuro was worried (?) about such a feverish crowd. But Futa-kun was so excited that he could not even watch him from the outside.

But Futa was tired from being surrounded by so many cheers day after day. I feel a little sorry for him because he seems to get up less often. I’d like to invite him to my animal kingdom, but I like frogs, crawfish, and other normal animals.

But still, something like this makes the news, doesn’t it? Shall I stand on my head next time? I will be 70 years old this year, but I don’t think they will let me retire yet. Uh-huh.

Kaze-kun was not only great at “standing up”.

Futa-kun was so popular that he was even featured in a canned coffee commercial. He stood up straight, chest out, and looked like a human being, which was different from other red pandas. The Chiba City Zoological Park explained that this was due to Futa’s curious nature and his short tail. Futa’s tail was chewed off by his mother soon after his birth, which allowed him to stand without it getting in the way. Futa-kun’s popularity has not waned, and in fiscal 2006, the park had 880,000 visitors.

On the other hand, many zookeepers have questioned the trend toward making a spectacle out of the animal’s ability to stand upright, saying that it is not a good idea to make a spectacle out of it. They argue that the mission of zoos should be to convey the entire ecology of the animals and the conditions in which they live.

The wild red panda is an endangered species that lives in the highlands of China’s Sichuan and Nepal, where there are currently only 2,500 to 10,000 of them. Efforts are being made to breed them in Japan, and Futa-kun, who was born in a zoo in Shizuoka City, came to Chiba for breeding.

Futa-kun was not only a star, but also accomplished the feat of bringing the first baby to the Chiba City Zoological Park. He and his wife, Chi-Chi, had eight offspring, and as of July 2012, they had 46 offspring, creating a large family.

On July 5, 2012, Futa turned 21 years old. He would be around 90 years old in human terms, making him the oldest red panda in Japan. He was able to stand up until about 18 years ago, but since then he has been suffering from cataracts that have made him blind in his right eye and prevented him from eating food.

He is now unable to stand up and is sometimes absent when he is not feeling well, but we hope he will live a long life.