Operation Red Panda: Revised 2. As the years go by, the ailurus fulgens population is rapidly declining. The population of

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1 Celine Bui Ms. Curran STW 21 September 2016 Operation Red Panda: Revised 2 Abstract As the years go by, the ailurus fulgens population is rapidly declining. The population of the Ailurus fulgens has decreased by fifty percent in the last three decades and and this negative trend projected us to continue over the next few years. The main causes of this deterioration are human intrusion into their habitats and disturbance to their food sources. Human cause problems for the red panda destruction through a variety of ways including direct contact with the animal, destroying their habitat, and by eliminating food sources. In this paper, we propose an innovative engineered project, that could protect the red pandas and their homes, in addition to increasing awareness of their declining population. Background Information There are a number of reasons the red panda population is in decline: deforesting the area, hunting and trading the animal, destructing their habitat and food sources, and more. Currently, there are protected areas in Myanmar, India, China, and Bhutan, though the severity of the laws protecting these species are uncertain. Moreover, there is a Global Species Management Plan (GSMP) for red pandas that is being undertaken around the world. GSMP also plans to act upon the following: scientifically provide a back-up population for the red pandas, hold awareness programs, and provide support for scientific and conservational research. Even

2 though their proposal does provide some protection for the red pandas, there are still many threats neglected by the existing conservation acts. Research, observations, and statistics, revealed that livestock and pets negatively grazing impact on the red panda population. Often times, local grazers would let their cattle loose and they would wander over to the forest to trample over the bamboo in the red panda s habitat. As a result, locals would gather the trampled bamboo, and use it for their own benefit. Moreover, domesticated dogs in the area carry canine distemper, a virus fatal to the red pandas. If they aren t stopped, the disease could continue to erode away at the population. With our hopes and expertise in the department of civil engineering, we will create a barrier around areas which are densely populated by red pandas in order to keep unwanted animals out and protect the species. (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version < Downloaded on 23 September 2016) Project Design It is proposed by my company, the GSMP, and the Civil Engineering Inc., to construct a device which will be able to constrict access from the herders animals and domesticated dogs in Singalia National Park, India. With consideration of durability, steel bars will be used to define the barrier. In regards to height, the barriers will be approximately 3 feet high due to the fact that the average size of dogs in the area is measured to be 3.5 feet tall. This height would be sufficient for the cattle since they have no way of maneuvering over the barrier. Furthermore, the bars of the barrier will be designed in such a way that smaller wildlife and other components of the environment could pass through, but the animals the size of large dogs or larger could not. Therefore, 2 pairs of bars would form 2 X s that would be placed on top of each other to create one fence[diagram on the last page]. These bars will be manufactured in India (in order to

3 minimize shipping cost) with support of authorized supervisors from our team (to ensure quality). These bars will then be distributed in segments to Singalia National Park. Professional civil engineers and construction workers will be sent to the park to establish them. Before carrying out any aspect of the project, permission to perform this act would be asked of the government of India, in addition to our country s government. Overall, the project will begin once the proposal has been approved by both involved governments. The manufacturing of the bars, bolts and all other materials necessary will soon follow. If entirely dedicated, this process will take approximately a few months. Then, organizing the process and distributing materials and workers is estimated to only take a short amount of time (approximately a week). At this point, the construction will begin and the project will be completed in approximately a year. The construction sites will take place in a safe distance away from the habitat to prevent any pollution produced by m the construction from harming the environment. Is It Better Than Other Designs? Compared to many of the other conservations acts, this is the most effective. Many countries that have set aside reserves for red pandas but do not reinforce their authority or laws. The highest extent of protection the red pandas receive are sparsely located officers around the park. Even so, how seriously these officers take their training is indefinite. Moreover, the laws regarding the red panda s protection are not strictly followed. Though some laws may exist, the severity of punishment are not thoroughly made known to the public. This provides strong evidence as to why so many people continue to hunt and sell red pandas, yet are able get away with it. On the other hand, the barriers that will be built will ensure effectiveness. Roaming animals will not interfere with the red panda s habitat with the design that will be implemented. In addition, our engineering expertise will ensure that the foundation of the barriers will be

4 strong enough to withstand any external collisions or erosion from the weather. To reinforce the protection, stricter laws made by the government will be placed into action to notify surrounding residents of the value of protecting the endangered species. This includes laws concerning the consequences if one were to trespass the barriers to hunt or bring livestock or domesticated dogs, If the project in Singalia National Park succeeds at protecting the red pandas and ultimately increasing the population in the area, then this plan has potential to be implemented in a number of other reserves around the world. Cost Though the plan is thorough, funds are needed in order for it to take action. We ask of approximately $15,000 to complete this project. The steel itself costs $5 per 2 ft. bar (HOME DEPOT) and the perimeter of the park which is approximately 370 ft. Taking into consideration the crisscross design that will be implemented, the total cost of steel will cost $7400. In addition, transportation and materials for building the foundation of the barriers is estimated to cost around $6000. The other $1400 would be used as buffer for any last minute needs to produce extra materials if some were to be lost or damaged in the process. The reason this animal was chosen was because it was threatened by human interactions and destructions. By using this method of protecting this dying species, we could revert actions that were brought upon them. Whereas if we were to be dealing with an issue caused by environmental impacts, it would be a lot more difficult to resolve. Because of these kinds of human interactions are a treat to the red panda s population, we re approaching you, the World Wildlife Fund, to help conquer our project and make an impact on the world s dying population of red pandas.

5 Here s is a diagram outlining the design of the fence: Works Cited Ailurus fulgens. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from Bhattacharya, R. (2016, May 6). Singalila National Park - Jeep Safari. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from Red Panda Network. (n.d.). Red Panda. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from Showing Results for "steel bars" (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Red Panda. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from

Conserving the Red Panda. Austine Decker

Conserving the Red Panda. Austine Decker Conserving the Red Panda Austine Decker Audience and Scope The purpose of this factsheet is to give an overview of the mammals known commonly as red pandas. Time will be spent discussing the red pandas