Lucknow: In the first, a team consisting of 12 scientists from Lucknow’s Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeoscience (BSIP) and Sikkim Based Botanical Survey (BSI) have found that the red pandas found in the East Himalayan region of the country not only eat bamboo, such as other pandas , but also consume ferns / leaves from several certain trees.
The team studied the pattern of food / red panda diet analysis with the intention to help policy makers in protecting and finding habitat ‘real panda’.
This study was recently published in the famous international journal Nature Journal of Nature Group.
“We did an analysis of detailed eating habits of red pandas with the help of their feces collected from trees.
Such research plays an important role in protecting endangered species because we can track their food requirements that must survive,” said Senior Scientist Senior Swati Tripathi He said the team conducted a multi-proxy analysis collected by Panda Dung Panda samples from the trees in Darjeeling and East Himalayas during the summer and winter.
In multi-proxy analysis, scientists look back to the past ecosystem with the help of records and data available, reconstruct and then study changes in animal food patterns or whatever is related to the ecosystem, he added.
Explain further, Senior Scientist BSED Sadhan K Basumatary said, “Himalayan Red Panda is listed as an endangered species and is treated as’ fossil life because they are not related to other living species, including black and white bears which are commonly referred to as pandas but without relationships With red pandas.
They represent one of the most important wildlife species in East Himalaya.
“He said the red panda lived in a very limited habitat, which was under pressure on climate change and human encroachment.
While Panda is known as bamboo eaters, this study shows that their diet also depends on lepicorus ferns and other leafy taxa such as Betula, Engelhardtia, Rhododendron and Quercus.
Senior scientist BSI Rajib Gogoi said, “It is a challenging task to collect Panda Dung’s samples because of a very limited population and unique defecation in tree trunks covered by moss.
We conduct extensive surveys to collect this samples of dirt for analysis Sophisticated scientific.
“” After studying dirt, I found that there were changes in the red panda diet in summer and winter.
We also found that they did not only eat bamboo but other tree leaves too, “said Senior Scientist Rajesh Agnihotri.
Director of BSED Vandana Prasad said, “This is a very important study conducted by BSIP scientists, who must attract policy makers to announce awareness about Indian red pandas which are endangered and secure their fine habitat under threat to climate change and human encroachment Of course.
” Where are they found? The red panda is a very endemic (endemic) species and is threatened in its habitat (northeast of India and China) and its distribution is limited to five Asian countries, Nepal, India, Bhutan, North Myanmar, and China.
In India, they are generally found especially in the Sikkim District, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, and Pradesh Arunachal.
The name of Panda comes from the word Nepal ‘Ponya,’ which means bamboo or plant eaters.