Darjeeling Zoo to release 3 zoo-bred red pandas in the wild today

Darjeeling: Come Saturday, three zoo-bred red pandas will complete their journey back to the wild as the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (Pnhzp), successfully fulfills the primary goal of Project Red Panda.

One zoo-born radio collared male red panda along with two females will be released from the zoo facility in Gairibas located inside the Singhalila National Park, into the wild. Incidentally, four zoo-bred red pandas from the Darjeeling Zoo had been soft-released at a special enclosure at Gairibas on January 15 this year, as part of Project Red Panda.

The soft release allows monitoring of zoo-bred animals in a controlled, semi-wild environment so that they can get accustomed to the wild before being released. "Out of the four, two females Yeshe and Smile along with one male Noel will be released in the Singhalila National Park on Saturday. They have been radio collared and we will keep tab via VHF antenna and satellite based signals," stated Dr Basavaraj Hulaichi, Director, Pnhzp. Dr. Sanjay Sukla, Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority, will also be present for the release.

All the red pandas had been born and brought up in captivity. They are aged between four and nine years. Prior to the release, the zoo has conducted various tests, including genetic studies; DNA fingerprinting; habitat evaluation, including satellite mapping and drone imagery. Under this project, red pandas are bred in zoos and later introduced in the wild with the aim of re-stocking.