Darjeeling, West Bengal, Nov 15: 'Millie' and 'Sweety', the two red pandas bred in captivity in Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo Park (PNHZP) here, have found new home into the wild of Singalila National Park, a home of the mini-endangered species. The two elusive herbivorous animals, kept in the enclosure at Gairibas, also in the Singalila range, since august 15 for acclimatisation, were freed yesterday by West Bengal Forest Minister Jogesh Burman opening shutter.
The duo, initially reluctant to run for freedom under the eager gaze of the onlookers, slowly slipped into a nearby bush.
However, the two female pandas have been radio collared and would be monitored for the next one year for the interest of the ''project panda'', said PNHZP Director Dr B R Sharma.
The two reddish white coloured bear-like mammals had been fruits of 17 years of research since the ''project panda'' took off in 1986 to give new lease of life to the most endangered animal of the world.
The ever-shy animals, one of the near-extinct species, have now about 2,500 population around the world, and are found in the mountain stretches of Nepal, north-eastern India, Bhutan, China, Laos and Myanmar.
The zoo authorities on November six also transported two more pandas 'Dolma' and 'Nilam' from the Darjeeling park to Gairibas enclosure, about 5000 sq metre above the sea, for acclimatisation before they could be released, said Sharma.
Bureau Report