Red Panda

The endangered and reclusive Red Panda has been a primary bucket list item for me for an excruciatingly long time. But with the help of Ismail Shariff - a great friend and like minded spirit - it finally boiled down to this, our maiden trip to these pristine forests - a dream come true. All my - I should say our - expectations were blown away with the monumental support of the team at Firefox Expeditions India led by Sourav Mondal and Amardeep Thami.

The beautiful Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a carnivore native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat albeit with a slightly longer body with a bear-like body and thick russet fur. The belly and limbs are black, and there are white markings on the side of the head and above its small eyes. It is arboreal and feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects. A solitary animal, it is mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. It is also called the lesser panda, the red bear-cat, the red cat-bear, and the fire fox.

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