The Himali Conservation Forum has allocated budget of over Rs6.8 million for red panda conservation efforts in Taplejung this year.

Red panda, which is called ‘Habre’ in Nepali, is rare and has been classified as the endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The forum has been working on the conservation of red panda since 2016.

The animal within the class of mammal is naturally shy and has attractive bodily features. It mainly survives on bamboo shoots and is roughly the size of a domestic cat. It is found in 23 districts of Nepal.