DARJEELING - PROJECT RED PANDA:AN EFFROT TO CONSERVE THE FURRY CREATURES
It was amazing to see so many red pandas in one place. But I was standing outside a wire fence in a zoo, and one with the distinction of having successfully bred several red pandas in capitivity. There were 12 of them in the enclosure, most up on trees, either dozing or eating. They are one of the cuddliest and gentlest creatures, and one of the easiest to photograph, as they can hold one posture for hours on end. The first recorded captive breeding of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) in Darjeeling was in 1908. But it was only in 1994 that the first successful breeding took place at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. Since then, the panda population has been growing steadily. At present, there are 21 red pandas in the zoo. The Project Red Panda, which this program comes under receive finance and guidance form the Central Zoo Authority of India, while the Manvell zoo of the UK provides technical support
The red panda, also known as the “lesser panda”, is now listed a protected species, and is found in the eastern Himalaya, starting from Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east. The areas between these two extremities where the pandas are fund in the wild are Sikkim, Darjeeling, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. There are also found in southern China. Red pandas are rare animals and their total population in the wild is still unknown. They thrive at altitudes ranging from 2, 8000 to 3,500 m.
In Darjeeling, the red pandas are found in the Singalila National Park and the Neora Valley National Park. The Neora valley is the only region in the world where the panda is known to share a habitat with tigers, leopards and elephants.
The nearest relative of this mammal is surprising the Latin American raccoon and not the Giant panda, as most people misconstrue. They fall in between the dog family and the bear family, and have a many features in common with the raccoon. They have long soft furl and a bushy tail with faint rings like the raccoon. The average weight of this bear cat, as it is sometimes called, is 5 kg and grows up to2 ft in length, excluding the tail. Their pale face is almost white with a rusty-red streak going down from each eye. The coat is thick and bright red while the under pants are dark brown. Giant pandas, other hand, are close to the bear in size and body shape. They also have the ability to stand erect on hind legs kike the bear. Recent studies have shown that their DNA resembles that of the bear while the DNA of a red panda matches that of a raccoon.
The red panda is a carnivore, but spends a large part of the day up on trees, and in its natural habitat, it subsists predominantly on bamboo leaves, which constitute 90% of its diet. It grasps the bamboo between thumb and finger while foraging. It has also been known to feed on birds, rats, squirrels, other small. animals, insects, fruits and tuberous roots. But is hard to make sense of their eating habits as they have an inefficient digestive system that cannot easily convert plant food into energy. Hence, they resort to eating vast quantities of bamboo to generate enough energy. They are better able convert met into energy but ironically depend more on bamboo leaves.
In order to communicate with each other, the red pandas whistle with each other, the red pandas whistle weakly. They also secrete a strong odor when under stress, or to attract a mate. They are known to have an ordinary sense of smell and their sight and hearing are dull. The panda can climb trees easily, and often sleep on tree tops of most of the day. They forage incessantly when awake.
The red panda is a solitary animal, which normally looks for a mate only during the breeding period. Mating takes place during late winter starting from the end of December to February. Females give birth in the hollow of trees during the monsoon, with the average birth count being two in a litter. It is usually between one and four .Cubs are confined in their den up on the tree living on their mother’s mild for about three months. After three months, they finally emerge from confinement to taste solid food and leaves. After 18months, the cubs are mature and can fend for themselves. In captivity, the panda goes through a gestation period of 130 days after which tow cubs are normally born in spring. Either parent or both will then nurse the offspring for a year. In captivity, their life span is 13 years.
According to a researcher with t eh Project Red Panda, the venture has been very successful since the early 90s. The animals are gradually to be released in the wild, before this, intensive studies and research will be made. Problems such as disease control aimed at avoiding contamination of those pandas bred in captivity by the wild population need to be looked into.
With conservation efforts like the Project Red Panda, the future of this once threatened mammal looks promising, at least for now.
The red panda, also known as the “lesser panda”, is now listed a protected species, and is found in the eastern Himalaya, starting from Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east. The areas between these two extremities where the pandas are fund in the wild are Sikkim, Darjeeling, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. There are also found in southern China. Red pandas are rare animals and their total population in the wild is still unknown. They thrive at altitudes ranging from 2, 8000 to 3,500 m.
In Darjeeling, the red pandas are found in the Singalila National Park and the Neora Valley National Park. The Neora valley is the only region in the world where the panda is known to share a habitat with tigers, leopards and elephants.
The nearest relative of this mammal is surprising the Latin American raccoon and not the Giant panda, as most people misconstrue. They fall in between the dog family and the bear family, and have a many features in common with the raccoon. They have long soft furl and a bushy tail with faint rings like the raccoon. The average weight of this bear cat, as it is sometimes called, is 5 kg and grows up to2 ft in length, excluding the tail. Their pale face is almost white with a rusty-red streak going down from each eye. The coat is thick and bright red while the under pants are dark brown. Giant pandas, other hand, are close to the bear in size and body shape. They also have the ability to stand erect on hind legs kike the bear. Recent studies have shown that their DNA resembles that of the bear while the DNA of a red panda matches that of a raccoon.
The red panda is a carnivore, but spends a large part of the day up on trees, and in its natural habitat, it subsists predominantly on bamboo leaves, which constitute 90% of its diet. It grasps the bamboo between thumb and finger while foraging. It has also been known to feed on birds, rats, squirrels, other small. animals, insects, fruits and tuberous roots. But is hard to make sense of their eating habits as they have an inefficient digestive system that cannot easily convert plant food into energy. Hence, they resort to eating vast quantities of bamboo to generate enough energy. They are better able convert met into energy but ironically depend more on bamboo leaves.
In order to communicate with each other, the red pandas whistle with each other, the red pandas whistle weakly. They also secrete a strong odor when under stress, or to attract a mate. They are known to have an ordinary sense of smell and their sight and hearing are dull. The panda can climb trees easily, and often sleep on tree tops of most of the day. They forage incessantly when awake.
The red panda is a solitary animal, which normally looks for a mate only during the breeding period. Mating takes place during late winter starting from the end of December to February. Females give birth in the hollow of trees during the monsoon, with the average birth count being two in a litter. It is usually between one and four .Cubs are confined in their den up on the tree living on their mother’s mild for about three months. After three months, they finally emerge from confinement to taste solid food and leaves. After 18months, the cubs are mature and can fend for themselves. In captivity, the panda goes through a gestation period of 130 days after which tow cubs are normally born in spring. Either parent or both will then nurse the offspring for a year. In captivity, their life span is 13 years.
According to a researcher with t eh Project Red Panda, the venture has been very successful since the early 90s. The animals are gradually to be released in the wild, before this, intensive studies and research will be made. Problems such as disease control aimed at avoiding contamination of those pandas bred in captivity by the wild population need to be looked into.
With conservation efforts like the Project Red Panda, the future of this once threatened mammal looks promising, at least for now.
posted by Upadhyay @ 6:37 AM
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