Moshu was a favorite on the Oregon Zoo’s social media channels, known for his “snack quests” in search of bamboo, apple slices and other red panda delicacies. (Courtesy Photo: Michael Durham/Oregon Zoo)

It’s another sad day at Oregon Zoo.

Elderly red panda Moshu, diagnosed last year with heart disease, passed away peacefully Wednesday morning.

Nicknamed “Sir Snacks-a-Lot,” Moshu was a favorite on the zoo’s social media channels, known for his adorable bleps and “snack quests” in search of bamboo, apple slices and other red panda delicacies.

“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.”

At nearly 14, Moshu was considered elderly for red pandas. In recent years, his care team adjusted his habitat and routine — softening his favorite biscuits to make snack time easier and brushing his tail to help with grooming. Ramps were added throughout his habitat for easier climbing, and cold-laser therapy helped him stay limber and active.

“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 zoo has lost some beloved animals recently — Tilly the river otter and Strike the cheetah, and now Moshu.

Born June 20, 2011, at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, North Dakota, Moshu arrived here from the Nashville Zoo in 2019. He fathered four cubs during his lifetime, including Pabu, born here in 2020 and now living at ZooMontana.

Red pandas, considered endangered, share part of a name with giant pandas, but they are in a class by themselves. The sharp-toothed, ring-tailed omnivores are the only members of the Ailuridae family. Found in the montane forests of the Himalayas and major mountain ranges of southwestern China, their striking red, white and black fur provides camouflage in the shadowed nooks of the trees among reddish moss and white lichens.