Montana Mourns the Loss of Duli the Red Panda

Well, this one hurts.

ZooMontana announced Tuesday that its beloved red panda Duli had died. He’d been at the zoo for over a decade, long enough that people recognized him on sight. A fan favorite and, frankly, something of a local legend.

If you’ve ever wandered the exhibit and spotted him stuffing his face in a tree, strolling through the grass like he owned the joint, you know the feeling. He was anything but plain. She wasn’t merely a zoo animal. Duli had presence. Half of us were at the zoo because of him.

And now? He’s gone.

The zoo broke the news with a statement: “Last week, we said goodbye to Duli (Doodles), the red panda.” That’s all it took. Instant lump in the throat.

We are used to seeing many different types of wild animals in Montana. From bear tracks on the path to an eagle circling your fishing boat, wild is in our genes. And there, in that little corner of ZooMontana, lived sweet Duli. Not wild, but wild at heart. And we loved him for it.

He was tiny, he was soft, and he was ridiculously photogenic. He lived a long life. Much longer than most red pandas ever get, and he made an impression on everybody he met. Kids, grandparents, awkward first dates. He was the one animal you woke up thinking about the next day, on the drive home in the truck.

So yeah, we’re sad. And yes, it’s weird to cry over a red panda. But if you ever encountered him, you get it.