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have you ever seen a red panda outside of captivity do you even know what a red panda looks like they live in dense bamboo forest at high altitudes making them even harder to spot which is ideal to keep them away from poachers but not great for those who want to save them like the guardians of the red panda network who walked the forest of the nepalese himalayas to track and count them this is firefox guardian from wildlife filmmaker ganjun banan nestled in the himalayas one of the most unique species on earth the red panda is in grave danger whole red panda have that of nepal has been fragmented into three other small patches this rare animal is suffering due to human creed poaching cases of red panda has been dramatically increased
there may be fewer than 2500 left in the wild but there is hope one woman has devoted her life to fight these forces determined to make a difference this is the journey of the firefox guardian the remote forests of the himalayas are the last remaining home to the magnificent red panda lovingly called the firefox an endangered species struggling to survive a devastating fur and pet trade but red panda network has come to the rescue working with forest guardians from the local communities each month they head deep into the panda territory to gather important data and search for signs of poaching but they face a huge challenge red pandas are hard to find only a handful have ever seen them in the wild for one of them it's been a long road to
become a guardian there foreign manuka and her team are about to set off on their next mission a previous trek revealed an abandoned nest a sure sign that a panda here has recently given birth these dense bamboo forests can be dangerous but this is panda country
the pandas here contribute to the natural balance of this challenging environment it's the last week of april and monsoon is on its way the team only have three days to complete their mission meanwhile the forest provides important clues and later that morning the guardians traced the empty nest they then follow a route they believe the pandas may have taken but as always the himalayas have other plans with newfound spirit the team follow a strategy to split up in search of the panda as they head deeper into the forest excitement grows meenuka catches a glimpse of redevelopment but the moss here plays tricks on even the expert eye
and despite their bright red coat the pandas are well hidden by these misty jungles but menuka has worked hard to see more than most as their second day ends manuka fears the team are running out of time to find the young panda darkness in this forest brings leopards and black bears for now the team must stop their search and seek shelter but knowing this might be their last chance to find the young panda they decide to explore an area where the trail is even more dangerous foreign
from the nest a huge relief for the team and will ensure the cubs safety from poachers foreign finding this cup is another success for the firefox guardians giving meenuka hope that what she has fought to achieve is still helping to secure the future of our firefoxes
