By this time next year, San Francisco might be one of the world’s foremost cities to see both giant and red pandas on display to the public.
Pandas are utterly unique among the Ursidae (bear) family. For one, they’re predominantly vegan; around 95% of their diet consists of plant material, like bamboo. They have fleshy, almost human-like thumbs — “false thumbs” that give them the ability to walk and better grip onto vegetation. They’re considered among the smartest, if not the smartest, bears on the planet, having an intellect that rivals those found in chimpanzees and gorillas.
All pandas are also hella endangered. Like, worryingly so.
And! As you might’ve surmised by the headline, there are not one, but two types of pandas: The giant panda and the red panda.
It’s the latter species — which isn’t a bear at all, but rather the only living member of the Ailuridae, having traits similar to those of raccoons and weasels, but also felines — that was recently added to the zoo’s growing roster of Himalayan mammals.
“The newest red panda was placed here as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival for Red Pandas,’” said Tanya M. Peterson, CEO and Executive Director of the San Francisco Zoo in a press release. “SSPs are comprised of zoological experts who study various factors before moving an animal to ensure the genetic diversity of a species.”
The SF Zoo has remained a renowned haven for the endangered red pandas for several years; it’s estimated around 6,250 red pandas exist in the wild as of publishing … with that figure declining each year.
The name of the zoo’s newest ambassador for the species? “Little Mebo.”
“[The SF Zoo is] honored to provide a home for Little Mebo,” Peterson continues. “We thank our various partners for ensuring Little Mebo arrived here as comfortably as possible.”
Little Mebo arrived by way of the Memphis Zoo via Southwest Airlines and the airline made a special exception to transport the red panda in the cabin of the aircraft. Most animal cargo is stored in the rear of the plane below the cabin, which is subject to fluctuations in temperature due to the area’s lack of insulation from outside conditions. This area of the plane also has far less sound deadening, causing already sensitive and anxious animals to suffer further.
Though animal deaths are rare, several pets perish on commercial flights each year — many of these deaths are later found to be preventable. A report from HonestPaws published by Forbes paints an even darker picture, citing that between 2010 and 2020, over 250 animal “pet passengers” died either during or immediately after airline travel.
Suffice it to say having Little Mebo sitting pretty in Economy Plus was a huge relief for zoo staff.
“We are so thankful to Southwest Airlines and their amazing employees who took care of our assistant curator and ‘Little Mebo’ at every step of their journey,” said Dominick Dorsa, Vice President of Animal Care. “Transporting animals can be stressful for both the animals and staff involved, and zoos and aquariums make every effort to minimize stress. Southwest Airlines granted a special exception by allowing our red panda to travel in the aircraft’s cabin, making it a smooth transport.”
In his connection from Memphis to San Francisco, SF Zoo’s Assistant Curator Andrew Poole, who was responsible for seeing the panda back to seven-by-seven, noted passersby were “delighted” by the fleeting glance of Little Mebo passing through the airport on a crate — “it was hard to keep a low profile with Little Mebo peeking over the mesh door covering of the crate every 30 seconds.”
Little Mebo, named in honor of San Francisco Zoological Society Board Member Kevin Xu’s mother and to celebrate his cheerful spirit, joins the Zoo’s two other resident red pandas, “Tenzing” and “Hunter,” at the Red Panda Treehouse.
Sometime next year, the San Francisco Zoo will receive two giant pandas as part of an international agreement and loan program with China — making the zoo one of the world’s most panda-populated wildlife parks outside mainland China.
Feature Image: Courtesy of SF Zoo
