Red Panda | Basic Facts About Red Panda
September 08, 2019
Red Panda | Basic Facts About Red Panda
Red Panda is found in the most part Himalayas of South Asia. From Eastern Himalayas to Southwestern China its native area ranges around the Himalayas only. Like the giant panda, it is also mostly herbivorous mammal that feeds mainly on bamboo. The red panda has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It is only slightly larger than the size of a domestic cat, though with a longer body and somewhat heavier. Growing from 50-65cm in length and weighing up to 6kg.
Red Pandas are skillful climbers that spend most of their time in the trees curled up with their long, bushy tails wrapped around their heads. Their thick reddish-brown fur offers additional protection from the cold, often harsh, mountain weather.
Habitat
Living in 36 different mountain districts, there are around 1000 red pandas in Nepal. It is one of the most endangered species in the country as well as the whole world. The majority of the red pandas of Nepal are protected inside the national park. Also, there are some communities of red pandas in Eastern Nepal in the districts like Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung, where there are no national parks or wildlife reserves yet, is home to one-fourth of pandas. There are some non-profit organizations that are working to save the pandas of this region.
The Red Panda Community and Red Panda Network are the organizations that are working from 2007 to spread awareness among local people and actions to protect the various endangered species through their habitat management, sustainable livelihood and awareness building.
Dite
Red pandas are excellent climbers and forage largely in trees. They eat mostly bamboo and may eat small mammals, birds, eggs, flowers, and berries. In captivity, they are observed to eat birds, flowers, maple and mulberry leaves, and bark and fruits of maple, beech, and mulberry.
They cannot digest cellulose, so they must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. Their diets consist of about two-thirds bamboo, but they also eat mushrooms, roots, acorns, lichens, and grasses. Occasionally, they supplement their diets with fish and insects. They do little more than eating and sleep due to their low-calorie diets
Bamboo shoots are easier to digest and display than leaves. The highest digestibility in summer and autumn, intermediate digestibility in the spring, and lowest digestibility in the winter.
Nepal has been celebrating International Red Panda every year on 15 September. To allow for its breeding season, Langtang National Park observes restriction from mid-June till mid-August. Trekkers and locals are not allowed entry into the park during the period.
Red Panda | Basic Facts About Red Panda