The cause for this sudden decline in their population is either hunting, or deforestation. They are often killed when they get caught in traps meant for other animals such as wild pigs and deer. They are also poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar. Red panda fur caps or hats have been found for sale in Bhutan. They also get killed by people clearing land for grazing, firewood, medicinal plants, and cash cropping.
Why We Should Save The Red Pandas?
There are multiple reasons why we should save them but there are more dominant reasons:
They are an ambassador for clean air and water for approximately 500 million people. The forests where red panda live are the lungs of South Asia and if these forests are intact and function properly, just like a humans lungs, then we can ensure a healthy life for the people, animals and plants of South Asia.
Conservation Biologists say that red pandas are an indicator of the overall health of their home which is the Easter Himalayan Broadleaf forest. Their home is in the middle of the Himalayan hot spots (places that are getting destroyed environmentally, and by humans). The exact population of the red pandas are unknown. By not knowing this, we aren't sure of the future of one of the most important regions of our planet.
Protecting the red panda is important to the preservation of the World's natural heritage and global biodiversity. (Since it is one-of-a-kind or it is the only Ailuridae which is the family it is in). Its different behavior and specialized habitat requirements, as well as the fact that they have no close living relatives, they are a living relic of past times.