Online Zoo Cute Encounters with Red Pandas
1Online Zoo Cute Encounter Allows Illustrator to Learn More About Lesser (Red) Pandas
We’re thinking of an animal that has shiny eyes, dainty, triangular ears, dark, chubby paws, and a long, bushy tail. Did you figure it out? It’s a lesser panda! (Also known as a red panda.) Just a glance of this cute little creature is sure to put a smile on your face. Unfortunately, unless something is done, lesser pandas may not be around for much longer. Over the last two decades, the world’s lesser panda population has more than halved. Now, only some 10,000 are left. This has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, to officially classify lesser pandas as “endangered.”
Each year, on the third Saturday of September, the world celebrates International Lesser Panda Day. This year, that day falls on September 18. In celebration of International Lesser Panda Day, Samsung Newsroom organized a very special event with Da-seul Jeong, also known as Aeso, the illustrator who created the beloved emoji character Ompangi.
The collaboration offered Aeso an opportunity to observe lesser pandas and celebrate the creatures by creating a unique character. A total of eleven lesser panda-inspired drawings were transformed into stickers that can be utilized in our daily lives. Follow along as we recount Aeso’s first encounter with the lesser pandas, and how they inspired her to create a one-of-a-kind character.