INTERNATIONA RED PANDA DAY 2022: Red Pandas, native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, are an endangered species that are legally protected in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. To raise awareness regarding the conservation of these beautiful animals, every third Saturday of September is celebrated as International Red Panda Day. This year, the day falls on September 18.
International Red Panda Day: History
The International Red Panda Day was first observed in 2010 and was launched by the Red Panda Network, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of the animals. Through local communities, outreach programmes, and research, the Red Panda Network works to preserve the species as much as possible. September 18, 2010 was the first time that the International Red Panda Day was celebrated.
International Red Panda Day:Â Significance
Red Pandas were discovered roughly 50 years before the giant pandas. In the last 20-odd years, the global population of red pandas has declined by roughly 50 percent. According to some reports, there may be as few as 2,500 pandas left in the entire world.
The estimation is scary enough and highlights the need to conserve the species. The International Red Panda Day aims to spread awareness about the stunted population of these animals and the ways to protect their habitat, and subsequently, them. Deforestation, fragmentation, and degradation, are some of the contributors to the declining of their population.
International Red Panda Day:Â Facts
- Red pandas rarely eat meat and survive mostly on vegetation.
- Bamboos are their favourite food. As many as 98 percent of all red pandas hog on bamboo.
- While pandas have an image of being static and lazy, red pandas have great agility. They are very skilled atclimbing trees.
- Red pandas use scent glands on their feet and at the base of their tail to alert other pandas of their presence and to attract female partners. This scent is odourless to humans but is easily detectable by pandas.
