Darjeeling: The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park’s (PNHZP) Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme has been selected as one of the top three finalists for the 2024 World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Conservation & Environmental Sustainability Awards. The winner will be announced at the 79th WAZA Annual Conference, to be held at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, on November 7, 2024.
Between 2022 and 2024, the program successfully released nine captive-bred red pandas, including seven females and two males, into the Singalila National Park (SNP) in West Bengal. In a significant milestone, three of the seven released females have since given birth to five cubs in the wild.
PNHZP, in collaboration with the Wildlife Wing of the Government of West Bengal, has undertaken several habitat restoration initiatives in Singalila National Park and the Darjeeling region. The zoo is also engaged in collaborative research on red panda conservation with institutions such as the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
In addition to these efforts, the zoo’s Biobanking and Genetic Resource Facility is playing a key role in preserving gametes, tissues, and DNA of red pandas and other endangered species for future conservation initiatives.
PNHZP officials confirmed that these conservation initiatives will continue in the long term to ensure the sustained protection and augmentation of red panda populations in their natural habitat.