The votes were heavily in favor of Red Panda for this weekend’s featured animal. (Well played @carsontheredpanda, well played indeed.) So here you go... Though many believed this was a photo of Clark the red panda at the @SanDiegoZoo, it is actually an old photo of my buddy Fuji. He was the first #RedPanda I ever worked with back when we had the in the Children’s Zoo. (Swipe to seem more pics.) Fuji was very unique in many ways, but by far his most unique characteristic was his curiosity of people. As his keeper you had no choice but to get to know him well, as he would follow you everywhere, investigating everything you were doing. Here’s some fun #AnimalFacts about Red Pandas: The Red Panda is sometimes called a Lesser Panda (meaning smaller than the giant panda) or they are also known as the Firefox due to their coloration and visual similarities to a fox. Hardcore red panda fans call them the First Panda because Western scientists “found” and described them 50 years earlier than the giant panda. Like the giant panda they have a protruding wrist bone that helps them grip and hold bamboo while eating. But, you may need to sit down for this, they aren’t related to giant pandas 😮! Tomorrow’s post will have more photos of a different red panda and more #facts about the species. #firefox #sandiegozoo #panda #firstpanda #wildlifeeducation #wildlifeseekers #wildlifeaddicts #endangeredspecies #wildlifephotography #endextinction #zookeeper #lovemyjob #education #learnsomething #lesserpanda #instaanimal #animalfact #animalsofinstagram (at San Diego, California)
