There are some unforgettable experiences which remain indelibly etched forever in one’s mind. In one such instance, Megh Roy Choudhury narrates one of her wildlife escapades where she had a tryst with the highly elusive Red Panda in the dense jungles of Eastern Himalayas.
Red Panda is one species everybody who goes to Eastern Himalayas would dream to have a sighting off. When we planned a trip to Singalila National Park in North Bengal and Nepal in October 2014, We actually had targeted two signature species of the area, Red Panda and Satyr Tragopan. For a week, we had roamed around the dense Himalayan jungles in vain. Though we could sight some beautiful species of birds our targets totally eluded us. We returned disappointed and decided to revisit this place sometime in the near future.
Red Panda is sparsely distributed in a very narrow range in southeastern Asia in the areas of the Himalaya Mountains in northeast India, south China, Nepal and northern Myanmar. In India it is reported from three states of West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Most of this populations are not interconnected and live as disjunct entities.
Singalila National Park is located at the Singalila ridge in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. This is a high altitude park spanning between 7,900ft to about 12,000ft covering an area of 78.6 square kms. It was declared a National Park a national park in 1992. Singalila range starts shortly after Manebhanjan and stretches through Tonglu, Tumling, Gairibas and all the way up to Sandakphu and beyond to Phalut. To the north of the park is Sikkim and to its west is Nepal.
Few salient factors need to be taken into account before embarking on a journey to sight this beautiful Animal. Red Panda is seldom seen in open and has been very rarely photographed in the wild. It is a solitary and predominantly nocturnal animal and it is not so active during the day and the best time to sight would be April to June during the breeding season.
After researching all the available facts, we planned a trip between 24th April and 1st May 2015. We reached Tumling, [10000ft above MSL] a tiny hamlet situated in Nepalon 24th. There we encountered a massive earthquake on 25th of April. It was raining incessantly throughout the day. We were relaxing in our rooms when suddenly we felt everything shake very violently. It went on for some interminable moments and I sprang to support my camera and tripod which were about to crash to the ground. I ran out of my room to realise that what we just had was a fierce earthquake. All communications were down and we had to decide whether to proceed or not. Though we were advised not to go ahead, we were very determined and resolved to continue our quest.
Our Next stop was at Gairibas [9000 ft above the MSL]. Here we met a team led by Shantanu Prasad who sighted a red panda in the same stretch of the jungle on the same day. We were highly encouraged by this fact and resumed our quest with a renewed vigour. For the next few days we scoured the thick forests with the help of two local experts. Our plans involved driving in the locally available land rovers and trekking whenever any trail looked promising. These land rovers are a miracle unto themselves and appear to be out of some age old English action movie. But they are tough war horses and are the best suited for rugged and steep mountainous terrain. Unseasonal and torrential rains and dense fog made all attempts to make our job more strenuous. Constant and tiresome human interference due to an ongoing road construction also was a huge hinderance.
Our next stop was Sandakphu, which at 11,941 ft above MSL, is the highest point on the Singalila Ridge. We left Sandakphu on the 30th of April and moved gradually downhill. The gravel road which goes through the park accords magnificent views of the lush green forests.
Our eyes were on the constant lookout throughout hoping to sight the Red Panda. We crossed Kalipokhri and were nearing Gairibas [9000 ft above the MSL] when our guides were told by a local cowherd that a Red Panda was sleeping on a nearby tree.
With a rush of adrenaline, we immediately hurried to the place and gleefully laid our eyes on the animal of our dreams. Aptly named as a ‘Fire-tailed cat” , the furry tail was as long as the body itself. The reddish brown fur on the upper body contrasted strikingly with the bluish back on the lower body. It was elegantly and lazily perched on a thick mossy bough. Our guide repeatedly instructed us to be very silent and careful, as at any moment the panda could just move and disappear. Though at first sighting it was around 100 meters away, we moved very carefully downhill, till we could station ourselves at an eye level with the Panda. It sure was a feast to look at the magnificent animal from such close quarters. As we stood there mesmerised, our hearts were beating erratically and limbs were frozen.
It was a divine opportunity conferred on us to record the images of this beauty in the wild. We took advantage of some neighbouring bushes to convert them into natural hides and set up our gears. Though at first the Panda appeared to be sleeping, we found out that it had it’s eyes open and was just resting. As we started to click the images it yawned and slowly and gracefully moved on the tree and bestowed us with some beautiful poses. The entire habitat with dense moss covered trees with sunlight peeking here and there was surreal. We stayed close to two hours spending many gratifying moments there. As the panda finally drifted off into sleep, we reluctantly bid adieu and left with a lot of cherished memories, elated hearts and fulfilled dreams.
Conservation status:
Red Panda is listed as Endangered because its population has declined by 50% over the last three generations and this decline is projected to continue, and probably intensify, in the next three generations. The overall forest loss rate at appropriate altitudes in the species’ range is suspected to be reaching Near Threatened status, but Red Panda populations are suspected to be declining much faster, reflecting a battery of direct threats, this species’ fragmented present range, and poor survival in fragmented areas.
Threats:
A] Red Panda diet is 98% bamboo. These plants show mass flowering followed by die off. Red Pandas will not readily find new feeding grounds in a highly fragmented landscape and are exposed to other threats when crossing unsuitable habitat. These bamboos do not easily re-establish after flowering in areas of environmental degradation and deforestation, which are now widespread across the species’s range.
B] Red Pandas are highly susceptible to canine distemper (even developing the disease after vaccination with domestic dog vaccine), which is lethal to them. As more people, particularly herders, encroach Red Panda habitat, contact between domestic dogs (and their excreta) and Red Pandas increases. Unless all dogs (including feral ones) in Red Panda habitat are vaccinated against this disease the chance that it will enter and spread in the wild Red Panda population with catastrophic consequences are high.
C] Red Panda has specific habitat requirements for forest type, altitude, slope gradient and aspect, proximity to water courses, precipitation and presence of tree stumps. The gentle slopes and rich bamboo understorey of Red Panda habitat make it also aprime choice for herders with their dogs. Cattle also prefer these more gentle slopes, so trample bamboo, which is also collected extensively by herdsmen and used for fodder. In addition tree stumps are often collected by local villagers for firewood.
D] Hunting for trade seems to be increasing. Deforestation and road building are easing access to Red Panda habitat. There are reports of poachers capturing Red Pandas in Nepal and Myanmar to satisfy the Chinese demand for the species (as wild meat, for medicine and for skins).
E] The human population in the Eastern Himalayas is growing at a steady rate. With this growth more people are moving into Red Panda habitat for their livelihoods, thereby exacerbating the above threats.
Conservation Actions:
The Red Panda is covered under CITES Appendix I , and Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the highest protection possible for a species in India . It is also legally protected in Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Nepal.
There are 20 protected areas in India that have known or possible populations of this species, yet these protected areas cover only about one-third of the total potential habitat for this species. Protection of this species is more or less adequate in the protected areas of India, due more to their remoteness and difficulty of terrain, rather than actual enforcement of laws. The following conservation strategies are recommended.
Expansion and strengthening of the protected area network, prevention of illegal felling, control of jhum cultivation and overgrazing, regulation of tourism, public awareness of threatened status of this species, and enforcement of existing legal protections.
The proposed creation of the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung Red Panda Protected Forest in Nepal would connect the tri-national Kanchenjunga Conservation Area with India’s Barsey Rhododendron Garden and Singhalila National Park, creating an uninterrupted stretch of protected land extending for 11,500 km2. This area is critical not only to the red panda but also to other endangered species such as the clouded leopard and leopard cat, as well as an exceptionally rich avifaunal diversity.
As the Red Panda breeds and lives well in captivity, many zoos worldwide are making sincere efforts in raising these magnificent animals. A multipronged effort in conserving the Red Panda can be a real success story.
References:
a] An overview of the status and conservation of the red panda Ailurus fulgens in India, with reference to its global status. Anwaruddin Choudhury. Oryx. Volume 35, Issue 3, pages 250–259, July 2001.
b] IUCN Red list of threatened species/ Red Panda. [http://www.iucnredlist.org/ details/714/0]
c] Animal Diversity Web [http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ailurus_fulgens/]
d] Tourism in Red Panda Habitats of Singhalila and Neora Valley National Parks, Darjeeling Himalayas, India – An Assessment for Appropriate Strategies. Dr Sunita Pradhan.
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