GANGTOK, July 2 – The Himalayan Zoological Park here has been carrying out captive breeding of red panda since 1999. It is learnt that the Darjeeling zoo is the coordinating zoo in respect of breeding of snow leopard. So far as red panda is concerned the Himalayan Zoological Park in Sikkim is the participating zoo under the Central Zoo Authority.
Three red panda cubs have been born in captivity at the park taking the total of red pandas in the park to an impressive eleven.
The cubs were born on June 3 and June 30, said the park’s additional director Gut Lepcha.
These pandas could hit the dozen mark with one pregnant red panda expected to deliver soon, zoo authorities informed.
Red panda, the State animal of Sikkim, figures in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act because of its dwindling population both in wild and in captivity.
But for the moment, the park is having an abundance of red pandas and has placed the animals in three separate enclosures. Earlier, the red pandas were kept in one single large display enclosure spreading across 1,440 sq metres.
Three male and one female red pandas have been kept at the display centre while the other red pandas and the cubs are housed in other two temporary enclosures.
“We will develop two more enclosures”, said the additional director.
“We are having good results lately. Last year, two cubs were born”, said Lepcha. He informed that the captive breeding had started with a pair of red pandas in 1999. Later, two more red pandas who had been rescued from the wild had joined the captive breeding programme.
Three red panda cubs have been born in captivity at the park taking the total of red pandas in the park to an impressive eleven.
The cubs were born on June 3 and June 30, said the park’s additional director Gut Lepcha.
These pandas could hit the dozen mark with one pregnant red panda expected to deliver soon, zoo authorities informed.
Red panda, the State animal of Sikkim, figures in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act because of its dwindling population both in wild and in captivity.
But for the moment, the park is having an abundance of red pandas and has placed the animals in three separate enclosures. Earlier, the red pandas were kept in one single large display enclosure spreading across 1,440 sq metres.
Three male and one female red pandas have been kept at the display centre while the other red pandas and the cubs are housed in other two temporary enclosures.
“We will develop two more enclosures”, said the additional director.
“We are having good results lately. Last year, two cubs were born”, said Lepcha. He informed that the captive breeding had started with a pair of red pandas in 1999. Later, two more red pandas who had been rescued from the wild had joined the captive breeding programme.
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