Habitat
Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet. Ailurus fulgens fulgens lives predominantly in Nepal and can also be found in India and Bhutan. Ailurus fulgens styani (or Ailurus fulgens refulgens) is primarily found in China and Myanmar. These animals have adapted incredibly well to their environment: They have sharp, semi-retractable claws that help them grip slippery branches, and their flexible ankles give them the unique ability to climb down trees headfirst. This helps them quickly escape predators like snow leopards and jackals, which may have difficulty seeing the animals to begin with: Their coats match the moss clumps that grow on their tree homes, and their black bellies make it difficult for predators to spot them from the ground. Red pandas even have two layers of fur—a soft undercoat covered with coarse hairs—to insulate them from the mountain chill, and they use their long tail as a wraparound blanket.
Threats
Rapid human population growth in the Eastern Himalayas is causing deforestation and the degradation and fragmentation of red panda habitat. In Nepal, 70 percent of red panda habitat in lies outside of protected areas and is fragmented into 400 small forest patches. Habitat is being fragmented by development projects including roads, hydro-projects, electric transmission lines, and mining, as well as settlement and agricultural conversions, and anthropogenic forest fires.
Livestock Herding
Livestock herding is a major driver of red panda habitat destruction. Herders cut down trees to maintain sheds and collect fuelwood from the forest. Unsustainable herding practices degrade habitat quality as livestock graze in the forest and eat and trample bamboo and other red panda food species. An increasing trend toward dairies in red panda range has fueled the demand for fodder (bamboo) and firewood.
Free-roaming Dogs and Disease
Free-roaming dogs and disease are major contributors to red panda mortality. Herders in red panda range have dogs that protect their livestock from potential predators. They also kill red pandas. Dogs can also spread seven species of gastrointestinal parasites to red pandas. The canine distemper virus, which is highly infectious and always fatal to red pandas, is another threat from free-roaming dogs. Get more information below on how we are protecting red pandas from dogs.
Conservation
In eastern Nepal, RPN is establishing the world’s first protected area dedicated to red pandas: the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) Red Panda Protected Forest. This forest is home to over 100 red pandas and serves as an important corridor connecting protected areas in India, Nepal, and China. Establishing the PIT Red Panda Protected Forest will bridge a gap that will create 11,500km of uninterrupted protected land. This vast area will not only protect endangered red pandas, it will also benefit other species in the region including vulnerable clouded leopards, critically endangered pangolins, and hundreds of bird and plant species.ndas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet. Ailurus fulgens fulgens lives predominantly in Nepal and can also be found in India and Bhutan. Ailurus fulgens styani (or Ailurus fulgens refulgens) is primarily found in China and Myanmar. These animals have adapted incredibly well to their environment: They have sharp, semi-retractable claws that help them grip slippery branches, and their flexible ankles give them the unique ability to climb down trees headfirst. This helps them quickly escape predators like snow leopards and jackals, which may have difficulty seeing the animals to begin with: Their coats match the moss clumps that grow on their tree homes, and their black bellies make it difficult for predators to spot them from the ground. Red pandas even have two layers of fur—a soft undercoat covered with coarse hairs—to insulate them from the mountain chill, and they use their long tail as a wraparound blanket.
