Despite their name, red pandas are not actually a type of panda. Rather, they are most closely related to the raccoon and not much larger than the common housecat. Red pandas live primarily in the Himalayas in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Northern India. As herbivorous animals, red pandas live in trees and are very acrobatic.
Their distinctive red coat and bear-like face have made them icons for many, but those features have also invited poaching. The demand for pelts in China and Myanmar and red panda hats in Bhutan has posed a serious threat to the red panda population. The decline in red panda populations can also be attributed to loss of habitat since much of the forest in their habitat has been cleared, and red pandas rely on the forests for nesting and food. The loss of forest has been the result of deforestation and firewood extraction in the 70 percent of suitable red panda habitat located outside of protected areas.
Numerous efforts have been made in recent years to save the red panda. For example, in Nepal, red panda poaching can result in up to ten years in jail. Communities have also begun to encourage the use of yak dung briquettes, which are an alternative to firewood taken from red panda habitats. The use of new cookstoves that require much less fuel and pose much a smaller threat to the environment has also become more widespread. Ecotourism and awareness efforts have helped to generate funds to protect more of the red panda’s habitat.
Perhaps the greatest threat faced by the red panda is climate change since there is no local solution. As temperatures change, red pandas will need to move to higher altitudes to survive, which will reduce their range and likelihood of surviving as a species. The fight against climate change is the fight for the red panda.
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