This mysterious country, formerly known as Burma, is slowly giving up its wildlife secrets to the rest of the world and is evidently home to a wealth of diverse species, such as the vulnerable Red Panda. Biologists from the conservation organisation Fauna and Flora International caught these highly secretive and rare creatures on film while exploring the high altitude bamboo and conifer forests of the Imawbum mountain region. What’s immediately noticeable is the lack of vegetation, highlighting the biggest threat to the survival of these arboreal animals- deforestation.

They are seen clambering over a rocky landslide triggered by Chinese logging in the area which has devastated parts of their alpine forest. The habitat has lately been ruined further by a network of roads built to satisfy an increasing hunting demand from China. This is particularly bad news for the unusually high densities of Red Pandas in the Imawbum region, as their diet is primarily dependent on bamboo. They have been photographed during previous surveys in Myanmar since 2009, but this is the first time they have been filmed.

Fauna and Flora International launched a conservation programme for the creature in 2012- an important part of which is raising awareness of Red Pandas with local indigenous people. It is also hoped the area being designated as a National Park will now give it more protection, together with a recent government imposed ban on raw log exports. Decades of military rule and an appalling human rights record turned Burma into a reclusive pariah state, preventing any outside exploration of the country’s habitats and wildlife. Thankfully, it is now on its way to becoming a civilian democracy and a less isolated member of the international community, which in turn, has allowed a number of media, wildlife and conservation organisations access, to begin documenting its plentiful and varied nature in some pristine environments.