Photographer Varun Thakkar managed to capture snippets of the secret life of red pandas by venturing into the depths of the eastern Himalayas. It can take days to track these solitary and territorial “fire foxes,” as they are the masters of camouflage. Their red backs easily blend in with the red moss-covered trees, white lichen, and yellowish-orange foliage, while their black bellies make them hard to spot from below. Therefore, catching a glimpse of these elusive creatures requires patience and dedication.

Typically creatures of the mountains, red pandas are found in the forests of India, Bhutan and Nepal. If you want to sight them in the wild in India, travel to bioreserves in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal.