RED PANDAS | IAS GYAN

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Darjeeling zoo to release Red Panda in Singalila National Park.
Darjeeling Zoo has initiated an ambitious programme to expand the wild red panda population.
- The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling will release 20 Red Pandas into the forests.
In recent decades, the number of red pandas has declined in the wild.
Singalila and Neora Valley National Parks in West Bengal are the two protected areas where the red panda is found, even in these protected areas the panda population has declined.
- According to recent studies, there are 38 of them in Singalila and 32 in Neora.
The Padmaja Naidu Park is at a height of about 2,000 metres above sea level, is one of the high-altitude zoos in the country and has been quite successful in captive breeding of the Panda.
Red pandas are categorised as an endangered species as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Red pandas are shy, solitary and arboreal animals and are regarded as an important indicator species for ecological change.

Singalila National Park

Singalila National Park is located on the Singalila Ridge at an altitude of more than 7000 feet above sea level.
It is in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
It is bordered on the north by Sikkim and on the west by Nepal.
The park is part of the Eastern Himalayas.
The Singalila Ridge runs roughly North to South and it separates Himalayan West Bengal from the other Eastern Himalayan ranges.
The two highest peaks of West Bengal: Sandakphu (3630 m) and Phalut (3600 m), are located inside the park.
Rammam River and Srikhola River flow through the park.
Flora - Thick bamboo, oak, magnolia, rhododendron and numerous orchids.
Sandakphu is also known as the "mountain of poisonous plants" due to the presence of large numbers of Himalayan cobra lilies (Arisaema).
Fauna - Red panda, leopard cat, barking deer, wild boar, pangolin, Himalayan black bear, leopard, clouded leopard, Tigers, Himalayan Vulture, scarlet minivet, parrotbills, golden-breasted fulvetta, etc.

Neora Valley National Parks

Neora Valley National Park is in Kalimpong district, West Bengal.
Place of Virgin natural forests, dense bamboo groves, the colourful canopy of Rhododendron trees, lush green valley.
It has a unique ecosystem where tropical, sub-tropical, sub-temperate, and temperate vegetative systems are found.
Flora - Mixed species like rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal, etc. Numerous species of orchids.
Fauna - Red panda, leopard, Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, Asian golden cat, wild boar, leopard cat, goral, barking deer, sambar deer, flying squirrel and tahr, clouded leopard, etc.