Protect Giant Pandas
Giant Panda is called xiong mao in China, which translates as 'bear cat'.
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Thanks to 80-year effort, Giant Pandas were saved from extinction.
Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which translates to "black and white cat-foot", chinese name Dà xióngmāo - “Big-Bear-cat”) were at the brink of extinction in the 1940s. Although the situation has improved slightly in the meantime, the fact remains that only approximately 1 864 Giant Pandas remain in the wild, due to poaching and the loss of their natural habitat, with approximately another 400 in captivity. Therefore, this species (relatives of the bear family) is classified as “vulnerable”.
Giant Panda cubs in Changdu, China. Source: Unsplash
Did you know what the origin of the name “Panda” is? It is thought to be the Nepalese word “nigalya ponya” which means “eater of bamboo”.
The** Giant Panda**, also known as the “Panda Bear” or the “Panda”, is native to the dense bamboo forests in the mountains of southwestern China. It is characterized by large, black patches around the eyes, on the ears, muzzle, legs, arms and shoulders. The rest of the coat is white.
“Giant Panda" is the name used to distinguish it from the Red Panda, found in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar, as well as Central China. The Red Panda is much smaller than the Giant Panda and is considered as being a member of its own unique family – the Ailuridae. The Red Panda is an endangered species and legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar.
Adolescent Giant Panda. Source: Unsplash
Giant Pandas are so rare, that each one is owned by China Due to their scarcity, China actually owns every single existing Giant Panda around the world, no matter where they were born. They are considered as China’s legal property, on loan to other countries. Zoos outside China are only able to keep Giant Pandas for a certain loan period and, at a certain age, the Pandas have to be returned to live in China.
What does a Giant Panda look like? At birth, Panda cubs weigh 3 – 5 ounces, i.e. 1/900th the weight of their mother. They are fragile and undeveloped, born blind and pink, without the distinctive black and white markings of the adult. For the first few weeks, they are totally helpless and the mother refuses to leave their side. Baby Pandas measure about 6 inches in length. They grow to between 4 and 5 feet in length, and weigh 200 - 300 lbs. as adults. The average lifespan of a Panda is 20–25 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.
Giant Panda comparison. Source: viaGood
Unlike other bears, Giant Pandas do not hibernate. Wild Pandas prefer the cold and move higher up into the mountains as temperatures increase. Climate change may drive their already fragmented populations to more isolated “islands” of habitat at higher altitudes. The bamboo forests that Pandas rely on are predicted to decline over the next decades due to climate change.
Giant Panda facts. Source: chinahighlights.com
Where do Giant Pandas live? In the past, Giant Pandas were widespread in southern and eastern China and in neighboring Myanmar and northern Vietnam. Today, they are limited to the dense bamboo forests in the mountains of southwestern China, scattered across six mountain ranges: Minshan, Qinling, Qionglai, Liangshan, Daxiangling and Xiaoxiangling. These forests are some of the most biologically rich temperate regions on Earth.
Historic and current range of Giant Pandas. Source: viaGood
What do Giant Pandas eat? The Giant Panda is biologically unique. It is closely related to the Bear, with a carnivorous digestive system, but has adapted to a vegetarian/ omnivore diet. Giant Pandas eat almost exclusively bamboo shoots and leaves, and occasionally other vegetation, fish or small animals. Bamboo accounts for 99 % of their diet. They eat very fast and they eat a lot. They spend about 12 hours per day eating, as they digest only about one-fifth of what they consume. Bamboo is not very nutritious, so they have to eat about 15 % of their body weight every 12 hours. After feeling satiated, they sleep for 2 to 4 hours. When they wake up again, they search for more food.
Giant Panda eating bamboo. Source: Pixabay
How many Giant Pandas are there? The number of Giant Pandas in captivity is increasing, but not so in the wild, as is shown in the graph below. Nearly two-thirds of all wild Pandas now live in protected wildlife reserves and a small number of captive-bred Pandas have been released into the wild.
Number of Giant Pandas born. Source: viaGood
There are increasingly many Pandas being born in captivity, but the number of wild-born Pandas is stagnating.
Giant Pandas by age and sex. Source: viaGood
Did you know… Pandas eat almost exclusively bamboo shoots and leaves? Bamboo is not very nutritious, so Pandas have to consume huge quantities of it and spend about 12 hours a day eating.
Poaching and habitat loss brought Giant Panda to the brink of extinction.
Easily one of the most beloved animals in existence, Giant Pandas face a number of threats, including from poaching and habitat destruction for purposes of farming and tourism. In September 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that Giant Pandas have been upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”
Due to the dense human population in China, the living space of Pandas is constantly decreasing. As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, Giant Pandas have been driven out of the lowland areas where they once lived. They are a conservation-reliant vulnerable species, endangered by poaching and deforestation, which depletes their bamboo food source.
Farmland expansion Farmland expansion causes fragmentation of Panda habitats. China has made several successful attempts at reforestation, although efforts such as the infamous Grain-for-Green Program have not yet proven to be definitively effective on all environmental fronts.
Climate change The results show that, when climate change alone is considered, the amount of land suitable for Giant Pandas in the Qinling mountains is expected to decrease by 49-85%, depending on the rate of future climate change. A fickle species, bamboo can grow extensively in mountainous or barren lands, but then dies in the winter. This forces Giant Pandas in those areas to relocate in search of food. However, the area of land suitable for Giant Pandas is constantly shrinking. The threat of declining bamboo availability due to climate change could, in the near future, reverse the gains made during the last two decades. The Giant Panda will remain a conservation-dependent species for the foreseeable future.
Attack from natural predators Although adult Giant Pandas have few natural predators other than humans, young cubs are vulnerable to attack by Snow Leopards, yellow-throated Martens, Eagles, Feral Dogs, and Asian Black Bears. Young adults weighing under 100 lbs. may be vulnerable to predation by Leopards.
Fragmented habitat The Giant Panda is vulnerable, mainly due to the loss of its natural environment. Large areas of natural forest have been cleared for agriculture, timber and firewood. Due to the dense human population in China, many Panda populations are isolated only into narrow strips of bamboo forests, no wider than about 4 000 feet. The living space of Pandas is constantly decreasing, and they are being forced higher on to mountain slopes.
The new habitats of Giant Pandas are fragmented into more than 20 isolated locations. Within these areas, the network of nature reserves provides protection to more than half of the panda population. Because Pandas cannot migrate between these far-flung habitats, they have less flexibility in finding new feeding grounds during periodic episodes of bamboo growth. Small isolated populations also face a higher risk of inbreeding, which can lead to reduced resistance to disease, less adaptability to environmental changes and reproductive problems.
Poaching Despite severe penalties for killing a Panda, poaching still occurs. Even low levels of poaching can have serious consequences for such a vulnerable species. In recent years, several Panda skins sold for large sums have been seized, but there is little information on the dynamics and dimensions of this market. Pandas are also inadvertently injured or killed in traps intended for other animals such as Muskrats and Black Bears.
With habitat protection, Giant Pandas can have a future in the wild.
Giant Pandas are considered vulnerable to extinction, but you can help to change that through environmental activism! Climate change is on track to destroy vast areas of the Chinese bamboo forests which are their home.
One of the most important strategies to overcome these threats is to develop large, resilient populations throughout the habitat of Giant Pandas. With adequate and suitable natural habitat available in protected areas, the successful reintroduction of captive-born Pandas into the wild will be vital to this effort.
What can be done?
- Increase awareness so that more people are aware of the threats facing Giant Pandas.
- Donate to Panda conservation on the ground in China, to secure the patrolling of their habitats, the creation of bamboo corridors to connect fragmented habitats, the limiting human impact, and support for research and monitoring projects.
- Use less paper to save the bamboo forests, the natural habitat and only food source of Pandas. By using recycled paper products, you are helping to protect Pandas from extinction.
- Reduce your carbon emissions. Every little bit helps to offset the climate change which is destroying vast areas of the Chinese bamboo forests, the natural home of Giant Pandas.
