ZSI will sign with Bhutan government for collaborative research on red panda

On July 1, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Bhutan government for joint red panda research.

Drithi Banerjee, director of ZSI, announced on Thursday that the group will sign an agreement with officials of the Bhutan government for trans-border conservation and genetic profiling of the animal. According to the ZSI director, Bhutan has a larger population than India, and both countries are actively involved in the conservation of this unique species.

Red pandas can be found in a relatively limited region in northern West Bengal, according to Banerjee.The contract will be signed in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, on the occasion of ZSI’s 108th Foundation Day.

According to Banerjee, the ZSI has already received 25% of the cash from the Bhutan government to begin work on red panda conservation in the Himalayan monarchy. “The Bhutanese government has approached India for technical assistance as well as collaborative work.” As a result, it is also a trans-boundary programme… “This is likely the first time the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has been honoured in this manner,” the ZSI director said in a statement.