Chiba Zoo — Fūta the red panda

photo by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by skasamatsu · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fūta, aged 23: the oldest red panda in the world, with 83 descendants in all.

In May 2005 a red panda named Fūta stood upright on his hind legs for over thirty seconds in front of visitors: the video went round Japan and set off a nationwide boom for the species. Fūta turned 23 in July 2026 and is now, according to the international records for the species, the oldest living red panda in captivity in the world: 83 animals now descend from his 2006 cubs, counting children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The zoo, opened in 1985 on 340,000 m², houses 124 species, and since March 2025 its renovated rainforest museum has been open again.

Chiba Zoological Park opened in 1985 and now houses 124 species over an area of about 340,000 m², with an educational trail called Academia Animalium since 2020. It became known throughout Japan from 2005 thanks to Fūta, the red panda who stood up on his hind legs, setting off a nationwide craze for the species: the zoo still keeps six of them today, including Fūta himself, now over ninety in human years and the oldest red panda in the world according to the international records.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–16:30, last entry at 16:00. Closed on Wednesdays (the following day if a public holiday) and over the year-end and New Year period. Adult ticket (high school and above) 800 yen, free up to junior high; annual pass 3,000 yen.

🚉 Dobutsu-Koen · 7 min walk

Sources: city.chiba.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · news.yahoo.co.jp

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