Context (IE): The Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme of the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is shortlisted for the 2024 Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Also known as the “firefox“, “lesser panda”, and “red-cat-bear”, is a small arboreal mammal found in the forests of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and the northern mountains of Myanmar and southern China.
In India, they are found in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal. It is the state animal ofSikkim.
Two subspecies:Himalayan red panda (A. f. fulgens) and Chinese red panda (A. f. styani). Yarlung Zangbo River is the actual geographical barrier between the distributions of these two species.
Himalayan Red Pandas are present in Sikkim, Darjeeling-Kalimpong districts of West Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan and Southern Tibet. Chinese Red Pandas are distributed in southeastern Tibet, Northern Myanmar and the Sichuan and Yunan provinces of China.
Habitat: Inhabit mountainous mixed deciduous and conifer forests, especially with old trees and dense understories of bamboo.