Save the Animals| Red Panda| Save the Species| Protect the Animals
We all are very much known to the white and black Giant panda as it the one of the most studied and photographed animal and foremost, it is the logo of the World Wide Fund for nature(WWF). But there is another species of panda almost 1/4th the size of its giant sibling and is a mysterious creature as not much information is available for the breed because of its shy temperament and a small population in the wild facing threat of extinction. It is no other than the “Red Panda”.
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| Red Panda Image Source- Google | Image by - needpix |
The breed was
discovered as early as the 13th century and is mentioned in Chinese
artifacts of the time. Red pandas are commonly known as "Firefox". The world "Panda" for these actually came from the world "Ponya" which in the Nepali language means '"Bamboo Eater".
This creature was
previously believed to be of the Racoon family but later it was discovered that
it has traits very different from raccoon and was considered close to the
Giant panda in some perspectives.
The breed is now been addressed as an individual
species which is found today in Himalayas and mountain ranges of India, Nepal,
Myanmar and China.
Habitat and
distribution
Earlier these used to live in the dense lush greens forests
of the entire northern range covering parts of Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and
northern regions of the country but after continuous habitat destruction and poaching
for more than 100 years, these are now found only in the northeastern part of
the country.
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| Red panda in captivity Image Source- Google | Image by - flickr |
These are found mostly on trees and even steep slopes where they
are busy in search of food and shelter. These prefer cold climate and generally move to the higher altitudes during peak summers. Red Pandas are usually very shy and remain away from any sort
of human intervention or encroachment.
These mostly prefer to be away eating in
bamboo trees and spending most of the time eating. Their numbers are quite low
in the wild and are now conserved in few protected areas such as National Parks
and Wildlife sanctuaries. Singalila National Park in Sikkim, Neora Valley National Park in Darjeeling,
Namdapha National Park in Arunanchal are last few left natural habitats of Red
Panda where one can see this beautiful creature in its natural environment.
Size &
Description
Red Pandas are of the size of a house cat generally weighing
from 5 to 9kgs weight. An adult is of 20-26 inches and tail adds about 15-20
inches more. These have reddish-brown fur coat with a round face and upright
ears. Their face has tear marking which goes from face to the corners of their
mouth. Their tail is specially designed to hold them while they are hanging
from trees and also help them to communicate through body language.
Their claw is very efficiently designed to give them a nice
grip while climbing onto the trees in search of food and shelter. Their wrist
thumb is like a giant panda to hold bamboo shoots while eating. These generally
live in isolation and their colour gives them camouflage from predators such as
clouded leopards, snow leopards, jackal, owls, and others in the region.
Diet and Habits
These spend more of their time around 13 – 14 hrs a day in
search of food which is mostly comprised of bamboo trees and shoots. These eat on an average of around 20000 bamboo shoots in a single day. Red pandas
do not have a very efficient metabolism so they have to eat around 40-60% of
their body weight to gain necessary nutrients in the body. While their
metabolism may not be good still it is believed that they have a unique feature
which is that they can regulate their metabolism and conserve energy during the
winters.
These are generally considered herbivores but red pandas have
been scene to have consuming fruits, berries, eggs of birds occasionally apart
from bamboo trees. These spend most of the time in search of food and are
most active during the night or at dusk and dawn. These reside on treetops
to protect them from predators and generally not prefer to come on the forest
grounds
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| Red Panda with cubImage Source- Google | Image by - flickr |
Population and Breeding
While being very shy and remaining away from human
intervention, still Red pandas have lost much of their habitat and population
in the wild. This species was declared as endangered in 2008 by IUCN. It is believed that less than 10000 individuals according to WWF are left in the wild keeping in mind that it's
only a 2-foot small creature residing in only some specific regions in the wild
which is very alarming. Just within the last 30 years, 40% of the population
has been lost which is diminishing with time.
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| Himalayan Zoological Park Image Source- Google | Image by - commons.wikimedia |
A female red panda typically gives birth to one to four cubs out of which 60% die in the first few months of their life. Red
panda does not live in social groups and a male and female come close only
during the mating season. Red panda offsprings usually remain with their
mothers for one year after which they separate their ways and live on their
own.
Conservation efforts
Many organizations today are working for the conservation of
Red Pandas to prevent this breed from extinction as it the only breed from its
species family and no relative species is there which makes it very important
for our country’s biodiversity. Furthermore many National Park and Zoological
Park such as Himalayan Zoological Park in Sikkim which has the biggest
Red Panda Exhibit and one can also see other rare creatures such as the Snow
Leopards of India are working in the direction of preserving and conserving the last few Red Pandas left in the world.
Save the Animals| Red Panda| Save the Species| Protect the Animals