Three Red Pandas, One Magical Morning

The Red Panda, also known as the lesser panda, is native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. With its soft reddish-brown fur, ringed tail, and gentle demeanour, this shy creature captures hearts instantly.

But behind its charm lies a worrying reality. Red pandas are under severe threat from habitat loss, poaching, and fragmentation of their forest homes. Fewer than 10,000 are believed to remain in the wild, making conservation efforts more critical than ever.

Every year, the third Saturday of the September, is marked as International Red Panda Day. In the year 2025, it was September 20 - a reminder that these gentle, tree-dwelling mammals need our protection more than ever. But for me, the chance to actually see them in the wild was something unforgettable.

It was the winter of 2023 when we went on an excursion with Nature Explorers to Singalila National Park in West Bengal, to see these little angels in the wild.

We were a group of 10, travelled from Mumbai to Siliguri by flight and then onwards by road. Our first halt was Manebhanjag. This pit stop served both as a night halt and an acclimatisation to the weather. The onward journey to Singalila National Park was by proper four-wheel jeeps. 

We arrived at the homestay, managed by a very humble couple. It was a basic home stay, but cosy enough to keep us warm in the chilly winter.

Our guides had warned us how difficult it is to get a glimpse of them in the wild. For three days, we searched without luck. It used to be foggy in the morning, which didn’t allow much birding. There were no sightings of red panda —only a small sign: a pile of scat, hinting at their presence nearby. It was a thread of hope we clung to.

On the fourth morning, everything changed. The guides told us they had been spotted. My heart raced. We drove part of the way, but soon had to begin a steep and slippery descent through dense bamboo thickets. The ground was damp, the slopes unforgiving. One of my friends cut her hand badly on a sharp bamboo stalk, but no one wanted to turn back. The thought of seeing them pushed us on.

After half an hour, breathless and a little bruised, we reached a massive Ficus tree. Its moss-covered branches were heavy with berries—a perfect red panda haven. The forest was wrapped in fog, silent except for the occasional drip of water. We waited, still and quiet.

For what felt like ages, nothing happened. Then—a tail flicked into view. My heart leapt. Soon, subtle movements revealed not one, but three red pandas: a mother and her two cubs.

At first, the cubs were shy, barely poking out of their hole. Then, as the fog lifted and the sun began to filter through, everything changed. The little furballs started to chase each other, tumbling along the branches, testing their courage. The mother watched calmly, occasionally joining them as they explored.

It was pure magic. Watching them play, feed, and interact felt like stepping into a hidden world. For that one hour, time seemed to stand still.

As we made our way back, scratched, muddy, tired, and overwhelmed, I couldn’t stop smiling. Seeing red pandas in their natural habitat wasn’t just a travel highlight—it was a reminder of how fragile and precious these creatures are.

I’ll always be carrying the memory of that misty morning, of three little red pandas bouncing through the trees, and of the quiet joy that only nature can give.

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