On May 13, late into the night, a group of four captured the red panda and packed it into a bag. The animal began to make noise, causing the suspects to leave the bag in the zoo’s bamboo grove as they fled the scene. According to Lalitpur SSP Shyam Krishna Adhikari, the suspects had visited the zoo twice before their attempt.
Two individuals have been arrested under suspicion of attempted theft of a red panda from the Central Zoo, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. The suspects, Krishna Gurung (21, Dhadingbesi) and Mohammad Tafiq (26, Bihar, India), are under the custody of Lalitpur District Police Office. Two others have been identified according to police, although they still remain at large.
Red Panda is one of the rarest and endangered species, with an estimated population of 10,000 globally, the majority of them found in Nepal. The red panda has a reddish-brown fur coat and a rugged tail that gives a similar appearance to that of a house cat. The animal is smuggled mainly for their fur and skin.
