Beloved Red Panda Suddenly Dies at San Francisco Zoo

On July 10, a 12-year-old red panda named Tenzing tragically passed away at the San Francisco Zoo, the latest in a troubling series of animal deaths and welfare concerns at the facility. In recent weeks, Tenzing had begun experiencing intermittent neurological symptoms that soon progressed to severe balance issues. Despite the efforts of the zoo’s medical staff, his condition rapidly worsened, and he died unexpectedly.

The zoo later revealed that Tenzing had contracted sarcocystosis, a parasitic infection often linked to contaminated food or water. While 12 is considered elderly for red pandas, this preventable condition is common in captive environments, where unnatural confinement and stress increase animals’ vulnerability to disease.

This tragedy underscores the zoo’s ongoing animal welfare and management crisis. With a history of neglect, fatal accidents, and substandard enclosures, the San Francisco Zoo has repeatedly failed the animals in its care.

While red pandas are not true pandas and are in fact an entirely separate species, more closely related to raccoons than bears, they share some similarities with their black-and-white namesakes, such as a bamboo-based diet and a native range in Asia. The tragic loss of Tenzing—a beloved red panda and longtime resident of the San Francisco Zoo—underscores why this facility should not acquire more animals from abroad, especially species like giant pandas that require extensive, costly new enclosures and specialized care. It is beyond irresponsible for the zoo to spend $35 million on new panda habitats and millions more in annual fees instead of addressing the dilapidated conditions that continue to endanger lives.

Sending giant pandas to this zoo would only add to the suffering. These iconic animals deserve far better than to become victims of “panda diplomacy” and the facility’s chronic mismanagement.

If you haven’t already, please sign and share our petition calling on the San Francisco Zoo to cancel its panda acquisition and focus on improving conditions for the animals it already has.