News Watch the Bittersweet Rescue of Red Pandas from Wildlife Smugglers

January 23, 2018—Customs officials in Laos seized six red pandas near the Chinese border with aid from the Australian NGO Free the Bears on January 13, in likely the largest bust ever for the species. Three of the pandas, weakened and sickly, died after rescue. The others seemed in good health. Red pandas are solitary and endangered creatures dwelling in remote, mountainous forests from southwest China to Nepal. They look adorable, and that may be a liability. Although protected across their range, red pandas have still lost habitat. Now, traders may be trying to sell them as pets illegally. Impractical to breed, red pandas would be poached to supply demand.