Loading…
International Red Panda Day is observed on the third Saturday of September each year, which fell on 19 September in 2026.
It was created by the Red Panda Network, a non-profit working on red panda conservation in the Eastern Himalayas.
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is Endangered on the IUCN Red List, listed in CITES Appendix I and protected under Schedule I of India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
In India it is found in Sikkim, the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills of West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh; it is the state animal of Sikkim.
It is not a bear and is not closely related to the giant panda - it is the only surviving member of the family Ailuridae.
The red panda is listed in Schedule I, Part I (Mammals), giving it the highest degree of protection available under Indian wildlife law, with the strictest penalties for hunting or trade.
Appendix I covers species threatened with extinction; commercial international trade in them is prohibited, which is the legal basis for acting against cross-border trafficking of red panda pelts.
Not a law but the global standard for conservation status. The red panda has been assessed as Endangered since 2008, one category above Critically Endangered.
Non-profit that created International Red Panda Day and works on community-based red panda conservation and habitat protection in the Eastern Himalayas, particularly Nepal
Runs India's red panda conservation breeding and augmentation programme, releasing captive-bred animals into protected forest
Publishes the Red List, which classifies the red panda as Endangered
The red panda occupies temperate broadleaf and conifer forests with a bamboo understorey along the Eastern Himalayas and into southern China, roughly between 2,200 and 4,800 metres. In India its strongholds are Sikkim - where it is the state animal - and the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills of West Bengal, with populations extending into Arunachal Pradesh. Singalila and Neora Valley National Parks in West Bengal and Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim are among its key protected habitats.
GS Paper III > Conservation - species status, protected areas and wildlife law
General Awareness > Important days and environment
The mammal family of which the red panda is the only living member - distinct from Ursidae, the bear family that includes the giant panda.
The CITES listing for species threatened with extinction, in which commercial international trade is prohibited.
Active mainly at dawn and dusk - the red panda's typical activity pattern, along with nocturnal behaviour.