The first photographic record of the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) from Lamjung District outside Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Authors

  • Ganesh Ghimire Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Zoology, Kirtipur 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • Malcolm Pearch Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, 15 St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom.
  • Badri Baral Nepal Environmental Research Institute, Tarakeshwor 9, Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • Bishnu Thapa Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Zoology, Kirtipur 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • Rishi Baral National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, P.O. Box 183, Hariyo Kharka, Pokhara, Nepal.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4828.11.12.14576-14581

Keywords:

Ailurus fulgens, distribution, Lamjung District, Nepal, Red Panda

Abstract

In May and June, 2018, a series of field surveys was undertaken to determine the presence of the Red Panda Ailurus fulgens in Marsyangdi Rural Municipality in Lamjung District, western Nepal.  A single, adult, Red Panda was photographed and recorded on video at Nafada Khola while scratch marks and distinctive scats provided evidence of Red Panda activity at eleven further localities at elevations between 3,150 and 3,650 m.  Threats to the habitat of A. fulgens within the study area are discussed.

 

Author Biographies

  • Ganesh Ghimire, Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Zoology, Kirtipur 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Ganesh Ghimire completed his M.Sc. in Zoology in 2015. In 2016, he worked as a ï¬eld biologist in western Nepal during the national Red panda survey conducted by the Red Panda Network (RPN) in collaboration with the Government of Nepal.  He is currently working as a section officer at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, Pokhara, Nepal.

  • Malcolm Pearch, Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, 15 St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom.

     Malcolm Pearch is a researcher at the Harrison Institute, where his principal interests are the biological diversity and zoogeography of the mammal fauna of the Himalayas and South and South-East Asia.

  • Badri Baral, Nepal Environmental Research Institute, Tarakeshwor 9, Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Badri Baral was awarded his M.Sc. in Environmental Science with a specialization in Biodiversity Conservation and Wildlife Management in 2014 from Tribhuvan University.  In the course of his degree, he affirmed the presence of the Red panda in Jajarkot District for the first time.  He is a co-founder of the Nepal Environmental Research Institute, where he is currently the Director of Biodiversity Conservation and Wildlife Management.  His research interests include population ecology and in situ conservation of the Red panda, the theory of island biogeography and evolution, and management of human-wildlife conflicts.

  • Bishnu Thapa, Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Zoology, Kirtipur 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Bishnu Thapa completed his M.Sc. in Zoology in 2015 and is working currently as an independent researcher studying the status, distribution, and conservation of the Red Panda in Bhojpur District, eastern Nepal.

  • Rishi Baral, National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, P.O. Box 183, Hariyo Kharka, Pokhara, Nepal.

    Rishi Baral was awarded his M.Sc. in Zoology with a specialization in Ecology and Environment from Tribhuvan University in 2014.  He is a Conservation Officer at the National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project.  His principle interests are the biological diversity and zoogeography of birds and small mammals, community based conservation, and ecotourism.

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Published

26-09-2019

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 12 (2019)

Section

Short Communications

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