Wildlife and birds · Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
Red panda habitat: what to expect
Kyongnosla's lower bamboo thickets are red panda habitat, but the animal is shy and rarely seen. An honest guide to your chances, and where in Gangtok you can see one for sure.
Photo: Sunuwargr · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The red panda is Sikkim's state animal, a russet, ringed-tailed tree-dweller of temperate bamboo and fir forest. Kyongnosla's dense bamboo at the lower edge of the sanctuary is the kind of forest it needs, and forest records note it here. That does not mean you will see one: red pandas are solitary, active mainly at dawn and dusk, and spend much of their time in trees.
A local guide on an early birding morning will scan likely trees, but treat any sighting as a rare bonus. Stay quiet, keep to the road edge and never use calls or food to attract wildlife. If you do see one, keep your distance and do not follow it.
To see red pandas for certain, visit the Himalayan Zoological Park at Bulbuley near Ganesh Tok in Gangtok, where they live in large forested enclosures. Seeing them there first will help you recognise the habitat at Kyongnosla.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
Can we see red pandas in Kyongnosla?
It is possible but rare. Kyongnosla's bamboo thickets are red panda habitat, yet the animals are shy, mostly active at dawn and dusk and usually high in trees. Treat a sighting as a bonus. For a certain view, visit the Himalayan Zoological Park in Gangtok.
Is the red panda Sikkim's state animal?
Yes. The red panda is Sikkim's state animal, and the blood pheasant is its state bird. Both live in the temperate and sub-alpine forests of the state, including Kyongnosla, Fambong Lho and Khangchendzonga National Park. Gangtok's zoo keeps red pandas in forested enclosures.
Where is the best place to see a red panda near Gangtok?
The Himalayan Zoological Park at Bulbuley, opposite Ganesh Tok, about 7 km from MG Marg, keeps red pandas in large wooded enclosures. Go in the morning, when they are more active. In the wild, sightings in Kyongnosla or Fambong Lho are rare and need a guide and luck.
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