Resistance fighters in Sagaing rescue smuggled red pandas

Resistance fighters in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region intercepted a vehicle carrying nine red pandas on September 14 and sent the animals back to Kachin State to be released into the wild, local sources said. Authorities detained two drivers in Indaw Township after finding the nine endangered animals in their vehicle at a checkpoint near the Kachin State border. “Nine red pandas, in total, were believed to be smuggled from Kachin State to lower Myanmar,” a man from Indaw Township told Myanmar Now. “Two drivers, detained by the township’s security team, will be charged with the wildlife protection law.” According to the driver’s account, the animals were bought as pets in northern Kachin State and were on their way to Mandalay, the second-largest city in central Myanmar, when they were stopped by resistance forces. The animals were returned to Kachin State on Saturday, though it remains unclear where they were being transported or where they will be released, local sources told Myanmar Now. Indaw Township—one of the main gateways from Sagaing Region into Kachin State—has been under full resistance control since fighters seized the town in early April. On September 20, Kachin Independence Army forces seized Banmauk, 21 miles from Indaw. The National Unity Government (NUG) said it worked with the Kachin Independence Organization, the political wing of the KIA, to transfer the endangered animals for release into a fitting habitat. “Our environment is not suitable for the red pandas,” a resistance source told Myanmar Now. “So, we contacted the Kachin Independence Organization to transfer them. As far as I know, they will be released into the wild.”Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and live in the mountainous forests of northern Myanmar, particularly in Kachin State. Slightly larger than domestic cats, they have thick reddish-brown fur, a long striped tail, and a bear-like body adapted to cool, high-altitude environments. The species is classified as endangered, with fewer than 10,000 believed to remain in the wild, and faces growing threats from habitat loss and poaching.The endangered animals are sometimes killed by poachers for use in traditional medicine, alongside food and the pet trade. Environmentalist groups say their distinctive pelts are also used for fur products like hats. In late August, four red pandas, near Kanpaikti, a town controlled by the KIA in Waingmaw Township were also transferred to Yangon Zoological Garden.

Resistance fighters in Sagaing rescue smuggled red pandas

Two drivers arrested after nine endangered animals found at checkpoint near Kachin-China border

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