Why in the News?

The Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling has been recognized as one of the top three finalists for the 2024 WAZA Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

About Red Panda

• There are only two different panda species in the world, the Giant Pandas and the Red Pandas.
• It is also the state animal of Sikkim.
• Red Pandas are shy, solitary and arboreal animals and considered an indicator species for ecological change.
• India is home to both the (sub) species:
  • Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
  • Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani)
• Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh splits the two phylogenetic species.
• It is found in the forests of India, Nepal, Bhutan and the northern mountains of Myanmar and southern China.
• The number of Red Pandas has been declining in the wild, even in the Singalila and Neora Valley National Parks, the two protected areas where the endangered mammal is found in the wild in West Bengal.
• Protection Status