GIANT PANDA

INTRODUCTION

The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca "black and white catfoot";simplified Chinese: ; pinyin:d xing mo,

The giant panda is easily recognized by the large, distinctive

black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its
round body

The rarest member of the bear family, pandas live mainly in

bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China, where
they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. They must eat from 26
to 84 pounds of it every day, a formidable task for which they
use their enlarged wrist bones that function as opposable
thumbs.

STATUS
POPULATION

1,826 in the wild

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

HEIGHT

Adults can grow to more than four feet.

WEIGHT

220330 pounds

HABITATS

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of southwest China

CAUSES OF ENDANGERMENT

Poaching

In the primitive times, giant pandas were subject to excessive poaching by

overseas people since it was hosted in the west. During the second Sino-Japanese
War in 1930, the overseas could not poach pandas; however, stillpandawas one
of the most useful sources of silky furs for the native people. After when the
population of China was on the rise in 1949, many pandas were forced to leave
their original habitats and the succeeding famines led to enhanced hunting of
wildlife, such as pandas.

Habitat Loss

The natural habitats of pandas are in mountains that are dominated by large fir
trees. These habitats no longer exist with the rise of industrialization and
population boom; besides, pandas are very fond of eating bamboos but many
bamboo forests were cut down by humans to fulfill their own needs.

Selective Mating

Pandas are very choosy about their mates. The females are only receptive for a
few days. During this time, if she is unable to find any willing mate then the
reproductive opportunity is certainly lost. These animals reach the maturity age
after five or seven years. Besides, females litter 1 2 cubs which seldom survive
in the wild. The weight of these cubs is no more than 4 8 ounces which further
makes their survival difficult.

Insufficient Lowland Forests

For the reason that there are not enough lowland forests, giant pandas couldnt
migrate elsewhere. Giant pandas have a limited diet. All these forests that were
once inhabited by bamboo are undergoing cultivation for agricultural crops.

WAYS TO HELP

Solutions in theses areas include:

1.

Increasing nature reserves

2.

Creating green corridors to link isolated pandas

3.

Patrolling against poaching and illegal logging

4.

Building local capacities for nature reserve management

5.

Continued research and monitoring

VIDEO OF GIANT PANDA

https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/wwf-and-yannipartner-to-save-giant-pandas

PICTURES OF GIANT PANDA