Jessica Hu

Dr. Hakim
28th Nov, 2014

Giant Panda
Giant Pandas, (Ailuropoda melanoleuca or -
literally translating to Giant Bear Cat ) is a type of bear
and mammal . Pandas, have a black and white coat and
enjoy eating and sleeping . Panda cubs also enjoy
playing, like children. Giant Pandas live in bamboo
forests in the mountains of central china.

Pandas are indeed endangered. This is because of

the growing human population and development and
illegal hunting. In fact pandas used to roam southern
and eastern china, and other neighbouring areas. Now
they only live in around 20 isolated patches in the
mountain forests in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu
provinces. Because of this, panda mating is difficult.
There are now 1000-1500 pandas left in the wild.

As I mentioned before, pandas eat bamboo and it makes up 99% of their diet. Pandas also
may eat other plants and small rodents. However, they are classified as a carnivore as they
have a carnivorous digestive system and carnivore-specific genes. A round head and large size
are adaptations to the bears diet. Pandas need to eat a lot of bamboo to receive the needed
energy, as the energy in bamboo is very little. This is the reason why pandas live solitarily, and
will swat, growl and lunge at other pandas encountered. Pandas natural predators are
cheetahs, jackals and the yellow-throated marten. Pandas avoid these predators by climbing
trees.

As the panda is a well-known endangered animals, charities often come to schools to

discuss about pandas with children. Non-fiction books about the panda are also common.

If pandas were to go extinct this would mean that there would be no bamboo left, so animals
with bamboo based diets would have to turn to other plants, causing them to become extinct. If
we stop destroying bamboo forests, we would also be saving many other endangered species
such as the golden monkey.

China also may give out pandas to other countries as appreciation gifts. If Pandas go extinct
there will be a problem with this political matter. Pandas also have economic benefits through
ecotourism and other activities. China is also a cultural symbol of China. So, pandas being
endangered is an environmental, political, economic and cultural issue.

Pandas are protected by charities, such as Pandas International. They are also protected by
the government in China, as it has made poaching pandas illegal. Lastly, pandas are also
protected in zoos all over the world.

Giant Panda Bibliography

For print resources:

Author Title Place & Publisher Info Date Accessed

Giant Pandas: A Fight London: Headline, 1990.

Rogers, Barbara for Survival in Zoos and Print. 26 Nov. 2014
Radcliffe in the Wild.
George B. Scallar The Last Panda University of Chicago 26 Nov. 2014
Press, Chicago 1993

For digital resources:

Author Title Publisher Date Date URL

of of
site acces
s
WWF - ??? ??? 26 http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangere
How Nov. d_species/giant_panda/panda/how_many_ar
WWF Many 2014 e_left_in_the_wild_population/
are
Left in
the
Wild?
WWF - ??? ??? 26 http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangere
Habita Nov. d_species/giant_panda/panda/where_panda_
WWF t: the 2014 lives_habitat/
Land
of the
Panda
 a-z - 26 http://a-z-animals.com/animals/giant-panda-b
Giant OpenCrypt Nov. ear/
??? Panda Membershi 2014
Bear p
Software 2008
WWF WWF - ??? ??? 26 http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangere
Panda Nov. d_species/giant_panda/panda/kung_fu_pand
s 2014 a_enemies_defences/
natural
enemi
es and
defenc
es
San San San Diego 2014 1. http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giant-
Diego Diego Zoo Dec. panda
Zoo Animal Global 2014
s -
Mamm
als |
Giant
Panda
WWF WWF - ??? ??? 1. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangere
Why Dec. d_species/giant_panda/panda/why_we_save
Should 2014 _the_giant_panda/
we
Save
the
Giant
Panda
?