‘Brightened so many lives’: Oregon Zoo mourns death of beloved red panda Moshu

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After he was diagnosed with severe heart disease in late 2024, the Oregon Zoo announced that its beloved red panda, Moshu, died peacefully Wednesday morning at nearly 14 years old.

“He was an incredible ambassador for his species,” said Rachel Ritchason, the zoo’s deputy director for animal care. “He inspired millions of people and brightened so many lives.”

Nicknamed “Sir Snacks-a-lot,” Moshu was a favorite on the zoo’s social media accounts, known for his “snack quests,” on the hunt for bamboo, apple slices and other delicacies.

Moshu was considered elderly for a red panda, the zoo explained, noting in recent years, his care team adjusted his habitat and routine to keep him comfortable – including softening his favorite biscuits to make snack time easier and brushing his tail to help with grooming. His team also added ramps throughout his habitat to help him climb and provided cold-laser therapy to help him stay limber.

“Moshu lived longer than any of us expected, and he had an amazing quality of life right until the end,” Ritchason said. “It’s a great testament to his care team that he was able to manage a serious condition like that for such a long time. We just focused on making every day as comfortable as possible for him.”

The Oregon Zoo is known for its specialized geriatric care and has been home to some of the oldest animals in the world, the zoo said, noting they have had to say goodbye to several elderly animals over the spring.

“It has been a rough time for us,” Ritchason said. “Tilly the river otter passed at the end of April, and last week we lost Strike the cheetah. It’s not surprising when you have so many older animals in your population, but that doesn’t make the losses any easier.”

Moshu was born June 20, 2011, at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, North Dakota – arriving at the Oregon Zoo from the Nashville Zoo in 2019.

Moshu fathered four cubs in his lifetime, including Pabu, who was born in 2020 and now lives at ZooMontana.

Red pandas are endangered, with populations decreasing by about 50% in the last 25 years, according to the Oregon Zoo, noting it’s estimated that there are as few as 2,500 red pandas left in the wild.

Along with habitat loss, red pandas also face poaching and threats of illegal wildlife trade. Red pandas are found in the forests of the Himalayas and major mountain ranges in southwestern China.