Red Panda

Red Panda

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Environment

In News:

• Hunting of Red Panda has decreased as per study by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, indicative of the success of awareness campaigns.
• Red panda is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas.
• Native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
• It is arboreal, feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects
• Habitat: Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal and northern Arunachal Pradesh.
• Threat: Hunted for meat and fur, besides illegal capture for the pet trade. 
• IUCN Status: Endangered 
• Significance: Red panda’s survival is crucial for the eastern and north-eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and the eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests
• Estimated Population: 14,500 animals in the wild across Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Myanmar.
• It is the state animal of Sikkim

Protected areas

• Kanchendzonga National Park (NP) — Sikkim
• Neora Valley NP – West Bengal
• Namdapha National Park – Arunachal Pradesh
• Singalila National Park – West Bengal