Myagdi, May 19: Camera trappings have been installed at various places of Jaljala and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve in Dhaulgiri Rural Municipality in order to ascertain the condition of the endangered red panda.
The Biodiversity Conservation Society Nepal set up the devices with the assistance of a donor agency. The devices are set up at Jaljala, Muna, Mareni and Dhorpatan of ward no 2 and 3 in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality. The camera trapping method is adopted to know about red panda’s behaviour and habitat.
Society chairman Paban Rai informed that the trapping devices were installed at a dozen of places where the red panda pass by and on the spots their droppings were found. The camera trappings are automated devices recording mobility and behaviour of the species facing extinction. “It helps ascertain the number of red the tree-living animals,” he said, adding that even the study of parasites afflicting the animals was underway.
A technical team has been mobilized to collect and examine red panda’s scat, which would help know about health condition of the endangered wildlife and forward conservation activities accordingly.
The red panda is a wild animal found in the hilly forests of 2,200 to 4,500 metre altitude.
In the last record, 6 to 25 red pandas were found in the Jaljala area, according to officer Rai. Red panda takes rest on trees at night and eats bamboo shoots during day.
The National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 has listed this mammal as a protected wildlife. Anyone found poaching this mammal faces jail terms of 1 to 10 years and fine ranging from Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000 or both as per existing law.
The latest study has estimated the number of red panda from 500 to 1,000 in Nepal. In addition to Nepal, the tree-living animal is found in China, India, Bhutan and Myanmar.
Nepal’s red panda is of Ailurus fulgens species.
