TADA THE RED PAnda

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TADA! THE RED PANDA

A RED PANDA LANTERN

Red pandas are on the endangered species list, with fewer than 10,000 remaining worldwide. However, thanks to the hard work of the Edmonton Valley Zoo, there are a few more than there otherwise would have been!

The Edmonton Valley Zoo participates in the Red Panda Network, resulting in 30 Red Panda Pups being born here in Edmonton! To celebrate this success, GABS has created TADA! The Red Panda— a fuzzy, glowing friend.

When threatened, Red Pandas rear up on their hind legs in order to look big and scare off predators, So Tada will be posed in a manner that would protect a real-life Red Panda…but she has a friendly smile to let you know she doesnʼt feel threatened by you, and only wants to play!

Tadaʼs body will be shaped into the Red panda’s iconic and adorably “threatening” hands-up pose, using recycled bamboo curtain, galvanized steel wire, and 3D printed parts. She will then be covered in old recycled bed sheets and faux fur to complete her ironically huggable appearance. Tada will glow a brilliant reddish-orange with white markings, making her impossible to miss!

Habitat loss is the main threat to the Red Panda’s survival. Bamboo, the habitat that protects real-life red pandas, will serve as a barrier to protect this illuminating piece.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

GABS.

GABS is an Edmonton-based artist well known for creating whimsical glowing creatures such as a 30 ft baby humpback whale and a life-sized 10 ft by 18 ft woolly mammoth, which is now on display at the Royal Alberta Museum. 

This is GABS’s third year attending Zoominescence. In 2022, she brought us Pan-glow-in, a project that brought attention to one of the world’s most unusual mammals, the Pangolin. In 2023, she teamed up with local character Trew Facks to create a magical Porcupine Lantern.

Follow GABS: 

ZOOMINESCENCE ARTISTS 2024

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