Soldiers save a red panda from near death

WILD RED PANDA FINDS A SAVIOUR IN JAWANS :

Soldiers patrolling India’s borders are not only protecting their mother land, but also saving endangered wildlife.

On 5th April ’09, a team of soldiers from Sasastra Sema Bal (An army battalion which guards India’s borders with Nepal and China) rescued a female red panda from the jaws of a dog. The dog belonging to a yak owner from across the border in Nepal, had inflicted serious bite wounds on the neck of this red panda. Dogs are used by locals here to protect their yaks from attacks by wild animals while grazing illegally inside the park.

The soldiers after rescuing the highly endangered animal, took her to their camp where they provided her with emergency medical care. Later, personnel of the Forest Department with help of a volunteer from WWF-India transported her to the Darjeeling zoo for further treatment.

WWF-India has been working in these region for the last five years to conserve the small red panda population left there. For the past thirteen years, WWF-India through Project S.E.R.V.E (Save the Environment & Regenerate Vital Employment-Darjeeling), has been working to preserve the environment of Darjeeling Hills, restore critical habitats and create awareness in environmental conservation. Initiatives have also been made to improve livelihood of the local communities.

In November 2008, Project S.E.R.V.E in collaboration with Wildlife Division l, Forest Department, Government of West Bengal organised various camps to sensitise SSB (Sasastra Sema Bal) personnel on wildlife crime control at Singalila National Park, Darjeeling, along the Indo-Nepal border. This was to apprise them of the Wildlife Protection Act and more
importantly to make them aware of their responsibility to control wildlife trade and crime along these border regions. A pocket-sized field guide displaying major species of this Park and some information on Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972 was also provided to them.

WWF has proposed to train soldiers to rescue wild animals here because rescue team could take upto two days to reach the spot as the terrain is hostile, especially in monsoons. Through this training, soldiers could treat the endangered animals in distress and could provide them with immediate medical treatment. WWF will provide requisite medicines to the SSB camps for this purpose.

Every year many red pandas become victims of similar attacks. WWF is in talks with the Forest
Department to remove these illegal dogs because they pose a serious threat to the existence of red pandas and other important species here.

the red pAndA After it WAs rescUed.

Reference: WWF publish JungleExpressApril09