“Without a doubt, the shy and elusive red panda is my favourite photographic subject. It’s found in the high elevation Himalayan mountain ranges. If you manage to catch just a glimpse of a red panda in the wild, you’re probably one of the few luckiest humans on earth. The sheer struggle red pandas put you through makes photographing them even more rewarding.

A red panda is quite clumsy on land as it is an arboreal mammal with sharp claws intended for a life in the trees. It belongs to its own unique family, Ailuridae, which consists of only the red panda, the sole living representative and its extinct relatives. Despite popular belief, it isn’t related to raccoons or giant pandas, the more popular namesakes. In fact, red pandas were the original pandas, discovered by science 50 years before the giant pandas.

While sleeping, the adorable red panda curls up its bushy tail around itself, like a winter blanket, looking like a ball of fluff. It’s adorable and magnificent at the same time. Once you look into its eyes, you’ll gladly commit your life to protect it.

Unfortunately, they’re restricted to a very small fragmented habitat in the mountains because of their dependency on bamboo and a cold climate. Their habitat is rapidly shrinking, causing their population to plummet. Despite their protected status, poaching for their fur is also a threat to their survival. And their cuddly appearance goes against them as they’re in high demand in the illegal pet markets. This unique mammal, which many of us have never seen or heard of, needs as much awareness and protection as possible to save them from our kind.”

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My Big 5

Red Panda
Polar Bear
Snow Leopard
Purple Frog
Elephant

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