Remember Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda, Po’s wise teacher who helps him on his journey and, in pop culture, has immortalised the words ‘inner peace’?

Did you know his character is based on an animal that many call ‘the original panda’? With a more fox or raccoon-like appearance, the red panda was first described in 1825, decades before the discovery of the black-and-white roly-poly bear that comes to mind when we think of pandas.

So, what is the red panda anyway?

In the world of mammals, the red panda is a captivating enigma, the sole survivor of the Ailurus family (derived from the Greek word “Ailurus” meaning “cat”). Characterised by its lustrous red fur, ringed tail, and masked face, this unique creature belongs to the Carnivora order yet primarily dines on bamboo leaves.

Once widespread across Eurasia, red pandas now cling to a fragmented existence in the Eastern Himalayas.

Classified as ‘Endangered‘ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), facing a multitude of threats, several factors have contributed to their decline — habitat loss caused by human activities, a dip in genetic diversity that makes them prone to more illnesses, predators like leopards and feral dogs, and climate change.

“As red pandas don’t move much, there is a fragmentation of their population. Even though we say that their range extends from Western Nepal up to Arunachal, due to the fragmentation, there is no genetic exchange between these populations,” Dr Basavaraj Holeyachi, IFS, tells The Better India.

As the director of the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Darjeeling, West Bengal, he has been leading the red panda conservation programme, which has gained international recognition over the years. In 2024, it was among the top three finalists for the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Awards.

Darjeeling Zoo: A sanctuary in the hills

While a zoo, or zoological park, is often seen as an institute dedicated to exhibiting animals, it serves a much larger purpose — to study animals in captivity and through research and planning, make conservation efforts to aid their survival.

The Darjeeling Zoo is no exception, and in India, is the first zoo to have a genetic biobank facility.

Nestled in the heart of picturesque Darjeeling, just below the town’s popular Chowrasta Mall Road, the zoo serves as a vital hub for research and conservation, housing Himalayan species like the red panda, snow leopard, tahr, goral, and Siberian tigers.

“We are taking up several in-house and collaborative research initiatives of the species we host here, aiming to deepen our understanding and contribute to their conservation,” Dr Holeyachi says.

Notably, PNZHP has successfully bred 77 snow leopards since the 1980s, second only to the Bronx Zoo in New York.

© The Better India