The Grumpy Red Panda

And Other Beasts of the Himalayas

If you can stop thinking about Darjeeling’s world famous tea for a minute, you may notice there’s a zoo up here. Not a huge one but one with many exotic Indian animals. 

Does your zoo have a red panda? Or a Bengal Tiger? Or a King Cobra? It does? Hm. Well, forget you. But for the hundreds of other Americans whose zoos don’t have critters like that, check out these photographs! Okay, first pretend you can’t just google any animal on earth and see a National Geographic quality photo of it. Pretend it’s the old days and you’re lucky to see any picture of any animal ever. Now look at my pictures. Pretty cool, eh? (That’s more like it.)

The Himalayan Zoological Park sits on the point of a promontory high above a valley so walking up to it is breath-taking. Actually, everywhere you walk in Darjeeling takes your breath away (at 6,700 feet, the air’s pretty thin). 

Fun Fact: Once you get to the zoo, stop walking or you’ll fall 6,700 feet down the hill. (Not exactly a Fun Fact, more like a Fun Warning.) 

The price of admission for foreigners is 100 rupees – three times what it is for Indian citizens. But still, that’s less than a buck and a half so don’t be cheap and try to rubberneck over the wall to see the animals for free, just pay it.

Now, sit back and I’ll guide you through the zoo from memory. But don’t expect much. My memory isn’t all that hot anymore and I’ve only been here one more time than you.

You saw the red panda? He’s endangered, that’s why he’s so grumpy. I think he looks more like a red raccoon (wearing his mask, looking like a bear, etc…) but since he’s related to real pandas, he can be called a panda, too. Sure, whatever he wants.

Dang. Can’t find my Himalayan Black Bear picture. Oh, well. Here’s one that’s just as good. (Ten times as good, actually.)

The Himalayan Black Bear has a great long-haired coat so he won’t freeze to death in the high-mountains. It isn’t that cold in Darjeeling so his great long-haired coat really itches. Never stopped scratching the whole time we saw him.

This is the Himalayan Barking Deer.

Poor little guy. Everyone barks at him to see if they can get him going. (I tried. Doesn’t work.)  

This is a photograph of the only part of a Bengal Tiger I could see – standing on my tiptoes and reaching my phone way up – but it is a genuine photo actually taken by me  (The David Uncle Difference™).

And here’s that King Cobra I mentioned. Not a bit endangered. Practically every home in India has one. Mine does (but it also has mongooses so don’t worry about me).

Here’s another Fun Fact (Warning). A general one about snakes: “If your face is too close to a snake, BEWARE!”

There are other swell animals and attractions here but my attention span alarm is blinking. Maybe we’ll come back to the zoo another day.