As a champion of the natural world, your Akron Zoo works hard each year to use earned revenue responsibly. Not only do we care for more than 1,000 animals who call our park home, but we also support several local and global conservation organizations that benefit endangered species. One organization we support is the Red Panda Network, the premier organization for red panda conservation in the world.  

Red pandas are the last living members of their taxonomic family (Ailuridae), so conservation of this species is an essential part of maintaining biodiversity in the eastern Himalayan broadleaf forest. Not only that, but because of their endearing looks, these animals are a favorite of many, making them great wildlife ambassadors! They help to gain conservation support for the hundreds of species who live in the forests, as well as the thousands of people who depend on the forests for their survival and livelihood.

Unfortunately, roughly 50% of red pandas have disappeared from their native habitats over the last 20 years. That is why we need your help! Your Akron Zoo is proud to support organizations like the Red Panda Network, who make great strides in species conservation. However, the network offers so many great projects and programs we can’t decide which one needs our support the most! Read on to learn about all of these projects.

• Herder Awareness Workshop:  Money would fund a workshop for herders working in the eastern Himalayan broadleaf forest. The goal of the course would be to increase red panda awareness and equip these workers with the information needed to protect local red pandas while herding.
• Forest Guardian Training: Forest Guardians are people from western Nepal who are paid to monitor and protect red panda habitats, as well as educate communities about red panda conservation. Funding this program would provide capacity-building training for 28 Forest Guardians.
• Monitoring of Red Panda Habitat: It is important to monitor red panda habitats to ensure that conservation steps are being taken and red panda populations are improving. Funding for a community-based monitoring program would pay locals to observe 12 monitoring blocks in Jajarkot district of western Nepal four times throughout the year.
• Herder Improved Cooking Stove: With help from funding, herders in Nepal would receive fuel-efficient cook-stoves that reduce firewood consumption and mobile tents to replace wood sheds. This would reduce the need for timber and prevent trees in red panda habitats from being cut down.
• Homestay Stove: Homestays are ecotourist destinations that help teach guests about local conservation. Funding for this program would provide improved cooking stoves to homestays in Nepal to reduce the need for local timber and protect red panda habitats.
• Pandas and Pangolins: This project will focus on the conservation of two endangered species in Nepal: the red panda and Chinese pangolin. Through the program, Red Panda Network Forest Guardians will use community surveys and camera trapping to identify the current population, distribution, and dangers for each of these species. It will also track how local land is being used in the Ilam district through field assessment activities. The results of this study will be used to guide education and outreach initiatives among local communities, and create a safer environment for red pandas and pangolins.

Help us help red pandas by voting below on your favorite conservation initiative listed above. You can make a difference in the lives of wildlife, and protect species for generations to come!

UPDATE: The winner was Forest Guardian Training. Thank you to all who voted!