This picture taken on February 5, 2025, shows a red panda at the central zoo in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Nestled in mist-covered Himalayas forest, Nepal is home to the elusive red panda (Ailurus fulgens), an endangered yet charismatic mammal known for its cute, mask-like face. Officials say that with Nepal pioneering community-based conservation, the global declining population of red pandas is increasing within the country. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/ AFP)/ TO GO WITH: Nepal-environment-animal-conservation, FOCUS by Anup OJHA
TAPLEJUNG: Nepali police officer Jiwan Subba still feels pangs of regret decades after he bludgeoned a strange creature he found wandering in his barn, not realising it was an endangered red panda.
Red pandas may share a similar name to giant pandas - due to their bamboo diet - but the copper-hued mammals with raccoon-like features are much smaller, typically the size of a house cat.
