Headed to Darjeeling in March? Don’t miss the red pandas at this award-winning zoo

Planning a trip to the hills of Darjeeling? Don’t miss out on the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo which has a Red Panda Program and was selected as a finalist for the 2024 WAZA Conservation Award. The Pnhzp serves as the lead zoo for the Red Panda breeding initiative known as Project Red Panda in India. This program involves breeding red pandas in captivity at high-altitude zoos such as the Pnhzp, Gangtok Zoo in Sikkim, and Itanagar Zoo.

Explore red pandas at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo, which has won a major award

The first successful breeding in the Project Red Panda occurred in 1994. The initial red pandas for this initiative were sourced from various European zoos, including those in Rotterdam, Madrid, and Clone Zoo, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 2022 and 2024, nine captive-bred red pandas (comprising seven females and two males) were released into the Singalila National Park in Bengal. Of the seven released females, three successfully gave birth to a total of five cubs in the wild. 

Classified as 'Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these species are facing numerous threats that have led to their decline. Key factors include habitat destruction due to human activities, reduced genetic diversity increasing their vulnerability to diseases, predation by leopards and feral dogs, and the impacts of climate change. 

Situated in the scenic Darjeeling region, just beneath the well-known Chowrasta Mall Road, the zoo plays a crucial role in research and conservation efforts. It is home to various Himalayan species, including the red panda, snow leopard, tahr, goral, and Siberian tigers. Notably, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNZHP) has successfully bred 77 snow leopards since the 1980s, making it the second most successful facility for this species, following the Bronx Zoo in New York.

PNHZP’s conservation efforts are further strengthened by its Biobanking and Genetic Resource Facility, wherein gametes, tissues and DNA of Red Pandas and other endangered species will be preserved for future use. 

“It is a great achievement. I would especially like to laud the efforts of all those who have been working on ground zero and have made this possible. This is the first time in India that such a conservation project has been shortlisted to be globally recognised. Such recognition definitely acts as a morale booster and will help us strive harder,” stated Forest minister Birbaha Hansda last year. 

Currently, the PNHZP has the largest captive population of snow leopards in the world and has been successfully breeding snow leopards for the past 30 years. “With our continued efforts, the Red Panda conservation breeding programme is running successfully. This year we had 4 Red Panda cubs born in captivity. At present we have 19 Red Pandas,” stated Basavaraj Holeyachi, Director, Pnhzp