New Delhi [India], October 7 : The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums has shortlisted India's Red Panda Conservation Breeding and Augmentation Programme, led by the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, West Bengal, for the 2024 WAZA Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Awards, according to an official press release.
The winner will be announced at the 79th WAZA Annual Conference at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia, on November 7.
Between 2022 and 2024, nine captive-bred red pandas (seven females and two males) were released into Singalila National Park (SNP) in West Bengal. Of the seven released females, three gave birth to five cubs in the wild, the press release stated.
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP), in collaboration with the Wildlife Wing of the Government of West Bengal, has undertaken several habitat restoration initiatives in Singalila National Park and the Darjeeling division.
PNHZP is also engaged in in-house and collaborative research related to red pandas with institutions such as the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
The zoo's conservation efforts are further bolstered by its Biobanking and Genetic Resource Facility, where the gametes, tissues, and DNA of red pandas and other endangered species are preserved for future use.
These initiatives will continue to support the long-term augmentation and conservation of red pandas in their natural habitat.