Red Panda

The red panda is a small, mostly tree-living mammal with dense reddish-brown fur, a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail. It is solitary and largely arboreal, with a head-to-body length of 51 to 63.5cm. Genetic evidence places it close to the raccoons, weasels and skunks, in a family of its own (Wikipedia, general species account).

In Nepal it lives in six protected-area complexes within the Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. Bamboo (Thamnocalamus) was found in all the droppings sampled in Rara National Park, both before and after the monsoon. Females give birth to litters of up to four cubs in summer after spring mating. Community-based conservation programmes operate in Nepal, Bhutan and north-eastern India. Nationally Endangered (Nepal National Red List 2011).