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By Deanna Harris
A New Zealand born red panda is leaving the country today as part of a historic exchange with an Indian zoo.
Eight-year-old Khosuva is boarding a Thai Airways 777 this afternoon bound for Darjeeling Zoo in India where she will be paired with a mate.
“This animal exchange and Auckland Zoo’s support of a conservation project is a great example of how a zoo’s exotic captive population can directly support a wild population,” says Auckland Zoo conservation officer, Peter Fraser.
“It’s incredibly exciting for all of us working in conservation to see the meeting of in situ (in the wild) and ex situ (in the zoo) conservation work, and ultimately have our first exotic animal release into the wild.”
It is part of Project Red Panda and if all goes well Khosuva’s offspring will be released into the wild, becoming the first Auckland Zoo non-native species to be released into the wild.
In exchange, Auckland Zoo will receive 10-month-old red panda Sagar from Darjeeling Zoo, who will be paired up with Khosuva’s sister, Amber.
Khosvua is not travelling alone, Auckland Zoo carnivore keeper Lauren Booth will help to settle her into her quarantine in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Ms Booth will spend time at Darjeeling Zoo and also work with the Red Panda Network Nepal staff to gain first-hand experience of how Auckland Zoo’s support of this project translates on the ground.
Project Red Panda was started in 1990 by Darjeeling Zoo with four red pandas.
To date, more than 55 red pandas have been bred in captivity and four have been released into the wild.
Project Red Panda works closely with the Red Panda Network Nepal.
“Like many species, the major threats facing the red panda are habitat destruction and fragmentation,” says Auckland Zoo officer Mr Fraser.
He says a key project is the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung corridor.
“This corridor will connect several isolated red panda habitats creating an uninterrupted stretch of protected land extending for 11,500 km2.”
The red panda is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and it is estimated that there may be as little as 2500 in the wild.
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