Red pandas are found across the Himalayas and in mountainous regions of northern Myanmar and southern China. They live in high-altitude forests that have bamboo understories; red pandas share part of their range with giant pandas. Although they share part of their name with giant pandas and may look a little like raccoons, they belong to a family of their own: Ailuridae. They have no living relatives, and their nearest fossil ancestors lived 3 to 4 million years ago.
An endangered species, fewer than 10,000 red pandas remain in their native habitat of bamboo forests in China, the Himalayas and Myanmar. Woodland Park Zoo works with Red Panda Network to protect and restore red panda forests in Nepal.