Partnership with Red Panda Network supports conservation practices in red pandas’ natural habitat 

On the third day of hiking through temperate cloud forests in the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, Bill Flanagan and Megan MacGregor saw their first wild red panda. The elusive endangered animals are hard to find — it is estimated that there are less than 10,000 remaining in the wild. 

 

Flanagan and MacGregor were there as ambassadors from John Ball Zoo, sent to see the Zoo’s conservation partner, Red Panda Network, in action. The Zoo has worked with Red Panda Network since 2017 to help protect red pandas in the wild and has raised more than $65,000 for the organization since then. 

 

“I was incredibly impressed by the dedication of Red Panda Network’s team and the local Forest Guardians who are on the ground protecting community forests and doing research on wild red pandas,” said Flanagan, John Ball Zoo’s conservation manager. “Seeing a wild red panda in person was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget.”  

 

Habitat loss is the biggest threat to red pandas. In Nepal, the once lush forests that red pandas depend on have been fragmented into 400 small forest patches due to land degradation, development, and unsustainable livestock practices. 

 

“When people visit the red pandas at John Ball Zoo or participate in our red panda naming contests, they are helping fund conservation practices for red pandas in the wild,” said MacGregor, the Zoo’s development events manager. “Our red pandas are one of our most popular animals, which translates into helping Red Panda Network carry out their mission.” 

 

John Ball Zoo’s partnership with Red Panda Network is helping it establish the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung [pan-sh-thar ee-lahm tay-ple-jung] (PIT) Red Panda Protected Forest — the world’s first protected area dedicated to red pandas — through the Plant a Red Panda Home initiative. Planting trees has helped restore hundreds of acres of red panda habitat and connect fragmented forest so red pandas and other threatened wildlife can thrive in a community-protected biological corridor. 

 

“We’re restoring the red panda’s vanishing and fragmented forest home in Nepal, planting over 800,000 trees on our way to surpassing 1 million trees planted in 2025,” said Terrance Lee, deputy director for Red Panda Network. “The unwavering devotion of conservation partners like John Ball Zoo makes this progress possible. We are grateful and honored to work with John Ball Zoo to restore habitat and save the endangered red panda.” 

 

“We were glad to take our partners from John Ball Zoo on a red panda ecotrip to connect them with wild red pandas in their untamed habitats, as it should be,” said Ang Phuri Sherpa, executive director for Red Panda Network. “Our ecotrips not only help raise funds for habitat restoration and community-based initiatives but inspire sustainable practices and deeper respect for wildlife among the communities.” 

 

In addition to scouting for red pandas, Flanagan and MacGregor visited the historical city of Kathmandu, one of the forest nurseries planted by community members and the high-altitude town Ilam, where local women are making Red Panda Network rugs. They hiked at 10,000 feet and stayed in community members’ homes with no heat and not much electricity. 

 

“Red Panda Network is integrated into the rural community,” Flanagan said. “It provides education and resources for local people to develop sustainable independent incomes and protect and monitor red pandas. John Ball Zoo is proud to be Red Panda Network’s partner.”