Cold Asia

Snow Leopards & Red Pandas

Seneca Park Zoo partners with organizations like Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) and Red Panda Network (RPN) to help save snow leopards and red pandas. 

Snow Leopard

Snow leopards are losing their natural habitat and hunting grounds, which leads them to seek out human livestock as a food source.

Since farmers depend heavily on their livestock, snow leopards are often killed in retaliation or even pre-emptively because of the perceived threat.

Snow leopards are also poached for their fur and bones, which are a source of income for people living in rural areas.

How We Help

The Seneca Park Zoo partners with programs such as: 

Snow Leopard Trust (SLT)
This group that aims to protect snow leopards through community-based conservation projects.  We support the operation of camera traps to study leopards as well as funding the livestock insurance program.

Snow leopard predation of lifestock can escalate problems and cause financial hardship for families in the native range of snow leopards. The loss of even one animal can be devastating, as many people only make $2 a day. The livestock insurance program has successfully mitigated those conflicts and allowed snow leopards to live in harmony with local families.

Community Beekeeping Programming: 150 Honeybee hives have been delivered to communities in the mountains of Kyrgyztan as part of a new project to create alternative income for herders in snow leopard habitat range. With a decrease in economic reliance on herd animals, there will be a decrease in potential conflicts. This program is partnered with planting of fruit orchards in six participating communities including Temen-Suu, Shamshy, Koshoi, Komsomol, Kyzyl-Dobo, and Kum-Dobo.

 

What You Can Do

You can help eliminate the pressures of poaching by not buying real fur or bone products. You can also visit the ZooShop to purchase handicrafts from Snow Leopard Trust, which will provide additional income to women living in rural areas near snow leopards.

You can also make a donation to support snow leopard conservation.

 

Red Pandas

Red panda populations have declined by 50% in just 20 years.

The primary threat they face is habitat loss caused by climate change and deforestation. Poaching and the illegal pet trade are also rising threats toward red pandas.

How We Help

The Zoo partners with organizations like Red Panda Network (RPN), which is committed to the conservation of red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities. 

We support the  World’s first protected area dedicated to red pandas through the creation of the Panchthar-ilam-Taplejung (PIT) National Forest.  The PIT Red Panda Protected Forest has the densest population of red pandas in Nepal. Once completed, the PIT forest will create 4500 acres of uninterrupted forest for red pandas, and other wildlife.

  • It contains approximately 25% of Nepal’s red panda population with approximately 100 individuals found in 178 km2 of habitat.
  • The Singhalila ridge red panda population is protected in only half of its range (in India’s Singhalila National Park).
 

What You Can Do

You can help stop climate change by reducing your carbon emissions. Turning off the lights when not in use, carpooling, and recycling are easy ways to make a difference.

You can also make a donation to support red pandas.

Every day is a great day to visit the Zoo. Experience life on the wild side, enjoy up-close animal interactions and support global conservation efforts—right here at the Zoo. Reserve your tickets now for quick and easy entry, and enjoy more time connecting with wildlife.

April 1 through October 31

November 1 through March 31

Zoo opens at 9:30 a.m. for our Zoo members.
Open all year long. Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.