07/27/2026
Panda fired from job after five years of caring for orphaned babies.
For the last five years, one zoo’s beloved panda had become famous for raising orphaned animals of all kinds after losing several cubs of her own. Keepers said she’d happily cuddle them, keep them warm through the night, and patiently bottle-feed everything from baby goats to calves, earning a reputation as the zoo’s most trusted surrogate mom.
That all changed this week after staff discovered the panda had quietly started drinking the bottles herself before handing them over. Officials say she’s been “relieved of childcare duties” while they investigate just how long the milk shortage had been going on. One zookeeper couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “She’s not fired forever… but HR did recommend we stop paying her in formula.”