Futa (red panda)



Futa (born 2003) is a male red panda (Ailurus fulgens) in the zoo of 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.

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. Futa was still at it in 2020, aged 15, equivalent to a human age of 70.

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