PHOTOS: Moshu, the Oregon Zoo’s red panda, celebrates Halloween with pumpkin playtime

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Moshu, the Oregon Zoo’s iconic red panda, is more than just alive and well: He’s celebrating Halloween, too!

The furry friend was captured playing with pumpkins during the fall season, much like his elephant neighbors’ annual tradition for the “ Squishing of the Squash .”

The update comes after the zoo announced that Moshu was diagnosed with severe heart disease back in early April. He has been with the Oregon Zoo since 2019 and recently celebrated his 13th birthday .

Red pandas are known to live past 20 years, but at his current age, Moshu is actually considered “geriatric.”

However, despite recent speculation over his health, the zoo confirmed that Moshu’s health is stable and that he is “doing well for a red panda his age.”

“Moshu’s heart condition is not something that will ever go away, but he has been managing really well with his meds,” the zoo told KOIN 6 News on Friday.

Moshu came to the Oregon Zoo from the Nashville Zoo when he was 7 years old. At the Oregon Zoo, he was reunited with his longtime companion Mei Mei. In 2020, he fathered a cub when Mei Mei gave birth to Pabu. However, in February 2021, the zoo announced that Mei Mei and Pabu had moved to ZooMontana in Billings.

Since red pandas generally have a laid back disposition, his keepers said it was hard to tell at first that something was wrong with Moshu’s health.

“He’s very laid back, there’s not a lot that ruffles his feathers,” Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey, a keeper who regularly works with Moshu, said back in April. “So it can be a little bit tricky to notice when things go awry with his health.”

But when they noticed more than usual lethargy in Moshu, the zoo performed an exam, eventually giving him the diagnosis.

The zoo then made some changes to Moshu’s routine, such as getting cold laser therapy for pain and taking a new medication. Even so, his keepers said he has still enjoyed apple snacks during training sessions, soaked biscuits, bamboo, and plenty of naps.

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