Phinju, a senior field technician at Red Panda Network (RPN) became a livestock herder at a tender age and herding cattle in red panda habitat which ultimately impacted the survival of the species. He was unaware of the ecological importance of the red panda. When he met Brian Williams (who later founded RPN) in 2001, he decided to try his hand at becoming a field assistant doing red panda research in Ilam district, eastern Nepal. After that, he has been regularly engaged in the conservation of wildlife. He also has great knowledge of the local medicinal and aromatic Plants. Phinju is responsible for supervising 17 forest guardians in Ilam. More info about Phinju.