Futa the red panda is latest Japanese celebrity

TOKYO: Futa has a great pair of legs – they have won him fans across Japan, spots on night-time news and now the starring role in an upcoming TV commercial. 

Since the two-year-old red panda was photographed standing upright on his hind legs by a national newspaper earlier last month, Futa has become the toast of animal lovers in Japan. 

“We never expected such a reaction. We're at a bit of a loss,” said Masanori Kobayashi, an official at Chiba Zoological Park, which has seen a jump in visitors due to Futa's popularity. 

Futa took on his first television role this week, posing in a 6½-hour shoot for an advertisement for a soft-drink company that will be aired nationwide this summer. The zoo received about 66,000 yen (RM2,300) for the day. 

Futa seen standing upright in his enclosure at the Chiba Zoological Park in suburban Tokyo in these handout photographs from the zoo released on May 19. - AFPpic

There had also been eight requests from companies wanting to produce stuffed animals, postcards and other goods in Futa's image, said zoo spokesman Kazuhiro Nozawa. 

Futa, standing 60cm when upright, sports a dark reddish-brown coat and white face – similar in appearance to a raccoon, a distant cousin of the red panda. 

While Kobayashi said it was not unusual for red pandas to stand, Futa seemed to have caught the attention of the Japanese public with their penchant for cute, furry animals. – AP