A group of forestry officials are in search of a giant panda at Wangkha, about 3km from Chhukha towards Gedu along the Thimphu – Phuentsholing highway.
Travellers along the Thimphu – Phuentsholing highway informed agriculture ministry officials of a giant panda they sighted in the area last week.
Forest officials said they fixed camera traps at various locations at Wangkha, but so far none of them have captured any images of a giant panda.
Study by World Wildlife Federation states that giant pandas are known to be a rarest member of the bear family and listed among the world’s most threatened animals.
They are usually seen in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense growth of bamboo at elevations between 1,500m and 3,000m.
A giant panda’s digestive system is similar to that of a carnivore than an herbivore’s and because bamboo does not provide much nutrition, a panda eats up to 20kg each day.