Protection of the existing species, corridor management with the enrichment of bamboo and other species & awareness creation to reduce the anthropogenic stresses can help address the issue
The habitat and most of the corridors of Red Panda are outside the Protected Area network. Photo: iStock. Red Pandas usually live in chilly, cold, mountainous mixed deciduous and coniferous forests of the eastern Himalayas, between altitudes of 2,200 metres and 5,000 m. They prefer a viable temperature range of 10 degrees Celsius to 25 ºC.
In the eastern part of the Himalayas, this type of suitable habitat is available only in the Singalila and Neora Valley national parks in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal. In order to spot this endangered wild animal in India, one has to visit Singalila or Neora Valley national parks.
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But in India, the largest suitable habitat for the Red Panda is in Kangchenjunga National Park, Sikkim. Corridor connectivity maps suggest the movement of Red Pandas from Singalila National Park to Kangchenjunga National Park via the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim. Still, the chances of spotting Red Pandas here in the wild are less as they are shy animals. Their worsening number furthers it.
But one can spot these mammals near the ex-situ site of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in West Bengal, popularly known as the Darjeeling Zoo. PNHZP is the only zoo in India designated for the conservation breeding of Red Pandas in captivity.
In July 2022, PNHZP released some captive-bred Red Pandas into the wild as part of the reintroduction programme to augment the number of this mammal in the wild. This lifted Darjeeling Zoos ranking in 2022 assessments.
India has two species of Red Pandas — the Himalayan Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) and the Chinese Red Panda (A. styani), according to a study by the Zoological Survey of India. Before 2020, they were classified as two sub-species based on the differentiation of morphology and biogeography.
Chinese Red Panda (left) and Himalayan Red Panda (right). Source: Chinese Red Panda: Yunfang Xiu/Science Advances Journal. Himalayan Red Panda: Arjun Thapa/Science Advances Journal.
But the research, after a series of genomic analyses, established the presence of two genetically divergent phylogenetic species of Red Pandas.
The study confirmed the Yarlung Zangbo River as 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.
A map showing occurrence records of red pandas in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. The circle indicates clusters with high occurrence. Source: Wiley Online Library.
Whereas Chinese Red Pandas are distributed in southeastern Tibet, Northern Myanmar and the Sichuan and Yunan provinces of China. So, transboundary protection and management are essential to save the endangered Red Pandas.
Among Red Pandas, two genetically divergent species also showed significant morphological differentiation in terms of the size of the skull, coat colouration and tail ring. The morphology of a species is determined by the phenotypic expression, which results from the interaction of the genotype with the environment.
The zygomatic (cheekbone) breadth and skull size of the Chinese Red Panda is larger than the Himalayan Red Panda. The facial colour of the Chinese Red Panda is redder than the Himalayan Red Panda. In the Chinese Red Panda, tail rings are more prominent, with dark rings being darker red and the pale rings being whitish than the Himalayan Red Panda.
These phenotypic expressions can help us distinguish the species and identify their habitats. Further, the knowledge of habitat can help us better manage the species in in-situ or ex-situ conditions.
The habitat and most of the corridors of Red Panda are outside the Protected Area network. Due to this, they face risks of habitat fragmentation and destruction due to ongoing developmental activities as well as direct anthropogenic stresses like hunting. These animals are hunted for their lucrative red skin and meat. They are also captured live and traded as pets.
Watch video: Red Panda Day: What is the status of the Indian Red Panda
On the contrary, we are ignorant about the contributions of Red Pandas in the natural regeneration of floral diversity in the eastern Himalayan landscapes. The species help in the dispersal of seeds, pollens and other plant propagules through their faeces. Analysis of their faeces has confirmed the presence of Bamboo leaves (85%) and ferns (15%) and other plants in their diet.
Though Red Panda belongs to the order Carnivora as per the taxonomic classification, they have adapted to a vegetarian diet like Giant Panda for unknown reasons.
They also play a significant role in adding manure and organic matter to the soil as faeces and bamboo leaves and have a considerable role in the prey-predator pyramid or food chain of the eastern Himalayan ecosystem. They attract tourists and contribute to the local economy and livelihood of people through eco-tourism services.
Protection of the existing species, corridor mapping and management with the enrichment of bamboo and other species, habitat conservation and awareness creation to reduce the anthropogenic stresses and disturbances, ex-situ management in zoos, conservation breeding with the mixing of genes to reduce inbreeding depression and reintroduction in the wild and regular monitoring of species are the need of the hour.
Sanjit Kumar Saha, West Bengal Forest Service, is the deputy conservator of forests, personnel at Aranya Bhawan, office of the principal chief conservator of forests (head of forest force) under the directorate of forests, the government of West Bengal.
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth
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