This Christmas, the Darjeeling Zoo received long-cherished gifts for tourists—two red pandas, which arrived from faraway Netherlands. The coming of Vishal and Koshy marks the arrival of red pandas to India from a zoo abroad after over a decade. Aged two and a half years, they traveled for more than 27 hours—first by flight and then by road. The panda pair was brought under the supervision of experts and doctors. At present, both red pandas are keeping healthy, according to forest department sources.
The red panda couple are kept in quarantine for the next month. Thereafter, they will be integrated with other red pandas at the zoo for breeding. The number of red pandas at the Darjeeling Zoo has surged to 21 now. "The red panda conservation and breeding programme of the Darjeeling Zoo has set a precedent all over the world. Banking on the past track record, we were entrusted with the breeding of red pandas from Netherlands zoo officials," said Saurabh Choudhary, member secretary of the State Zoo Authority.
Darjeeling Zoo director Basavaraj Holeyachi added, “The pair of red pandas have arrived after a long Journey. They will be kept in quarantine for about a month. Our doctors and experts will keep an eye on them. Both the pandas are healthy now.” These pandas were not brought under any animal exchange programme; rather, the Netherlands government agreed to send the couple based on the reputation of the Darjeeling Zoo's red panda conservation and breeding programme.
The State Zoo Authority had been striving to bring red pandas for more than three years, with several meetings held last year by the member secretary of the State Zoo Authority. Red pandas living in the Himalayan forests inhabit regions such as Singalila and Neora Valley, alongside habitats like Kyongsel and Alpine Simba, rich with Rhododendrons. While the number of red pandas has increased through breeding, there is concern about genetic diversity. For this reason, it was deemed necessary to breed with red pandas brought from different environments and climates.
Interestingly, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the red panda as endangered. According to the latest census conducted in 2019, there were 38 red pandas recorded within Singalila National Sanctuary and 32 within Neora Valley Sanctuary. The year 2023-24 witnessed the birth of six red panda cubs at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. Over the last three years, six red panda pairs were released back to the wild at Singalila Sanctuary after having been fitted with radio collars.
The arrival of the red pandas is not just significant for the Darjeeling Zoo but also heralds hope for the conservation efforts across the region. “We express our gratitude to Rotterdam Zoo and Global Species Management Plan for Red Panda for providing the two animals thereby contributing to the Pnhzp’s red panda conservation breeding programme,” added Holeyachi.
The zoological park has proven to be successful in breeding 10 endangered species, including the red panda, snow leopard, blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, and others, since its founding back in 1958. It was also recognized as the best zoo across all categories as of September 2022. This institution holds the role of the coordinating zoo for the Project Red Panda, which focuses on the zoos of India managing red panda conservation.
By integrating new genetic material through these recent arrivals, the zoo hopes not only to improve genetic diversity but also to strengthen its breeding program. This will contribute to healthier populations of red pandas, which are facing threats due to habitat loss and poaching.
Overall, the festive arrival of Vishal and Koshy from the Netherlands not only enhances the collection at Darjeeling Zoo but also reinforces the commitment of Indian zoos to conservation efforts, demonstrating the positive impacts of international collaboration for wildlife preservation.
