4 arrested for smuggling red panda hides in Nepal

Nepal police have arrested four people from capital Kathmandu for their suspected involvement in smuggling hides of red panda, the endangered species found primarily in Eastern Himalayas.
Acting on a tip-off, the police detained the accused from Tokha Municipality yesterday and recovered the rare species' hides from them, an official statement said.
The suspects were arrested and sent to District Forest Office, Hattisar, Kathmandu for further investigation and action today, the Himalayan Times reported, quoting officials of Nepal's Metropolitan Crime Division.
According to the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973, the red panda, also known as Ailurus, is classified as highly endangered species in Nepal.

Some 220 red pandas, which are slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur, were found in eastern Nepal during a census conducted in 2015.