The Red Panda

Meet the elusive guardian of the Eastern Himalayas

Mention the word "panda" and the first thing most of us think about are China's iconic black and white bears. If it was Po that came to mind, the wisecracking star of the Kung Fu Panda films, you will also know the not-so-famous kind: the adorable red panda or Master Shifu in the movies.

In fact, while red pandas and giant pandas share a similar name, and both have a weakness for bamboo, that's where the similarity ends. They aren't closely related: Modern genetic evidence places red pandas in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks.

Giant pandas, by contrast, are true bears, part of the family Ursidae alongside sun bears, moon bears, and polar bears.

While it may be overshadowed by its more wellknown cousin, the red panda is a symbol of the biodiversity found in the remote, mist-covered forests of the Eastern Himalayas and other mountainous regions of Asia where it lives. This small, tree-dwelling mammal faces numerous challenges in the wild, making it a focal point of global conservation efforts.

The red panda is a strikingly beautiful creature, resembling a cross between a fox, a raccoon, and a domestic cat, but it belongs to its own unique family, Ailuridae. It is often referred to as a "firefox" because of its reddish-brown fur, which helps it blend into the mossy tree trunks and dense foliage of its forest home. Red pandas are about the size of domestic cats, but their tails are thick and bushy with alternating red and cream rings, providing balance while climbing trees. These tails also serve as a warm blanket during the cold winters, coiling around their bodies while they sleep.

One of the red panda's most distinctive features is its round face with white markings around the eyes and muzzle, giving it an almost masklike appearance. Its semi-retractable claws and specialised wrist bone, functioning similarly to a thumb, allow it to skilfully grasp bamboo stems and navigate through the branches of trees.