Red panda
Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 14 "Biodiversity and Conservation"
Meaning
The red panda is a small reddish-brown mammal with a long ringed tail. It lives in the cool temperate forests of the eastern Himalaya. The IUCN lists it as Endangered, which means it is in danger of extinction. Its main threat is the loss of its forest home. It is the state animal of Sikkim.
Example
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, West Bengal, breeds red pandas in captivity. This is ex situ conservation, which means protecting a species outside its natural home. In the wild, red pandas also live in the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in the Garo hills of Meghalaya.
Don't confuse with
- Giant panda: a large black-and-white bear of China. The red panda is a small, cat-sized animal and is not closely related.
Related concepts
- Project Elephant
- One-horned rhinoceros
- Asiatic lion
- Project Cheetah
- Gharial
- Hangul
- Project Hangul
- Snow leopard
- Great Indian Bustard
- Blackbuck