The endangered red pandas of Darjeeling are all set to steal hearts in another hemisphere.

Darjeeling’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) has been shortlisted as one of the top three finalists for the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) award in Sydney, Australia.

The WAZA Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Awards will be announced at the 79th WAZA annual conference at Tarongo Zoo, Sydney, on November 7.

Darjeeling’s PNHZP has been shortlisted for the red panda conservation breeding and augmentation programme, which the zoo had pioneered as Project Red Panda in 1986 with funds from the Central Zoo Authority.

The project garnered global attention when two captive bred red pandas Sweetie and Millie, both aged five, were released into the wild at Singalila National Park in Darjeeling on August 15, 2003.

This was the first instance of such a release of zoo-bred pandas in India and involved decades of research and planning. The two female pandas were selected after their DNA strains were studied to ensure that it was not similar to the wild pandas in the park.

The aim was to introduce a new bloodline to a dwindling panda population.

The animals were first released in a preconditioning camp near Sandakphu to give them a feel of the wilderness in a protected area without exposing them to danger before releasing them in the park.

They were monitored by using radio collars for about a year. Sweetie ensured the success of the project when it mated with a wild panda. Millie, however, was mauled to death by a leopard a few months after its release.

The story of Sweetie and Millie was documented as "Cherub of the Mist" by wildlife filmmakers Ajay and Vijay Bedi.

The film created history of sorts by bagging 11 international awards, including the Green Oscar.

The Darjeeling zoo repeated the feat when it released captive-bred pandas Neelam and Doma in 2004.

The project has picked up pace, said foresters. "Just between 2022 and 2024, nine captive bred red pandas were released into Singalila National Park and the birth of five cubs have been recorded,” said a forest official.

The red panda is an endangered species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

"The PNHZP’s conservation efforts are further strengthened by its biobanking and genetic resource facility, wherein gametes, tissues, and DNA of red pandas and other endangered species are preserved for future use,” said an official.

As part of the project several habitat restoration initiatives are being taken up in Singalila national park and Darjeeling division. At the moment there are four male, 11 females and four red panda cubs in the Darjeeling zoo.

"The PNHZP is taking several in-house and collaborative research works related to Red Panda with institutions like Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII),” the official added.

The PNHZP was recognized as the best zoo in India in 2022.

Officials involved with the project expressed their happiness over the zoo's nomination for the WAZA award. “We do not know who the other two competitors are but this development is an honour for us,” said an official involved with the project.

Last year, the award was bagged by Loro Parque, a zoo in Spain.