Told in the hills
Why the red panda lives here
The red panda is a small, russet, tree-dwelling mammal with a ringed tail, related neither to the giant panda nor to raccoons but in a family of its own. It lives in temperate forests with dense bamboo undergrowth, roughly between 2,200 and 4,800 m, across the eastern Himalaya and south-western China, and feeds mainly on bamboo leaves. It is listed as Endangered, threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.
Neora Valley offers exactly what it needs: unbroken stretches of oak, fir and rhododendron forest with thick bamboo at the higher altitudes, little human disturbance and connections to forests in Sikkim and Bhutan. Forest staff and researchers have recorded red pandas here using camera traps and surveys, which is why the park describes itself as the land of the red panda. The animals are shy, mostly active at dawn and dusk, and spend much of their time high in trees, so sightings remain rare.
Pinned to the board
Did you know
Neora Valley National Park was established in 1986 and covers about 88 sq km.
The park's highest point is Rachela Danda, at about 3,200 m, near the meeting point of West Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan.
The Neora river, which rises in the park, is the main water source for Kalimpong town.
