Due to the forbidding terrain of its mountain habitat, the red panda has eluded biologists and photographers alike for centuries. There exists barely any significant film or photographic record of the natural history of this species in the wild. This strikingly handsome, bamboo-eating carnivore — a taxonomic enigma — has been fighting its lonely battle for survival in the eastern Himalayas for time immemorial.

For the first time, Return of the Fire Cat reveals the secretive life of this elusive and little-known species. Witness never-before-seen footage of the red panda courting and mating, nest-building and rearing a litter of newborns. Filmed near the frozen peaks of the majestic Kangchenjunga range, the film offers one spectacular image after another of the red panda's enchanting habitat: the misty, moss-laden temperate forests of India.

Follow along as zoologist Dr. Sunita Pradhan oversees the introduction of two captive-born red pandas, Mini and Sweety, into the wilds of Singalila. Dr. Pradhan has the distinction of being the first Indian biologist to undertake a scientific study of the ecology, status and feeding behavior of wild red randas. Return of the Fire Cat captures the tremendous sense of anticipation and excitement accompanying this truly momentous occasion in the history of wildlife conservation, while cameras continue to record Mini and Sweety's successful transition from life in captivity to the wild over the course of 14 months. Will they make it?