2. GIANT PANDA
The panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, lit. "black and
white cat-foot"), also known as the giant panda to
distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear
native to south central China. It is easily recognized by
the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes,
over the ears, and across its round body. Though it
belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is over
99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat
other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of
birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may receive
honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or
bananas along with specially prepared food.
3. GIANT PANDA
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China,
mainly in Sichuan province, but also in
the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. As a result of
farming,deforestation and other development, the panda has
been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
4. The panda is a conservation
reliant endangered species. A
2007 report shows 239 pandas
living in captivity inside China
and another 27 outside the
country. Wild population
estimates vary; one estimate
shows that there are about
1,590 individuals living in the
wild, while a 2006 study via DNA
analysis estimated that this
figure could be as high as 2,000
to 3,000.Some reports also
show that the number of pandas
in the wild is on the
rise. However, the IUCN does not
believe there is enough certainty
yet to reclassify the species from
Endangered to Vulnerable.
5. DESCRIPTION
The giant panda has a black-and-white coat. Adults measure
around 1.2 to 1.8 m (4 to 6 ft) long, including a tail of about
13 cm (5.1 in), and 60 to 90 cm (2.0 to 3.0 ft) tall at
the shoulder. Males can weigh up to 160 kg
(350 lb). Females (generally 10–20% smaller than
males) can weigh as little as 75 kg (165 lb), but can also
weigh up to 125 kg (276 lb). Average adult weight is 100 to
115 kg (220 to 254 lb).
6. In 2006, scientists reported that
the number of pandas living in
the wild may have been
underestimated at about 1,000.
Previous population surveys had
used conventional methods to
estimate the size of the wild
panda population, but using a
new method that
analyzes DNA from
panda droppings, scientists
believe the wild population may
be as large as 3,000. Although
the species is still endangered,
the conservation efforts are
thought to be working. In 2006,
there were 40 panda reserves in
China, compared to just 13
reserves two decades ago.
7. The giant panda is among the world's
most adored and protected rare
animals, and is one of the few in the
world whose natural inhabitant status
was able to gain a UNESCO World
Heritage Site designation.
The Sichuan Giant Panda
Sanctuaries, located in the
southwest Sichuan province and
covering seven natural reserves, were
inscribed onto the World Heritage List
in 2006.
In 2012, Earthwatch Institute, a
global nonprofit that teams volunteers
with scientists to conduct important
environmental research, launched a
program called "On the Trail of Giant
Panda". This program, based in the
Wolong National Nature Reserve,
allows volunteers to work up close
with pandas cared for in captivity, and
help them adapt to life in the wild, so
that they may breed, and live longer
and healthier lives.
9. THIS IS SO BRUTAL,KILLING AND TORTURE PANDAS FOR FUN AND FUR.
THIS IS WHY WE MUST FIGHT FOR PANDAS.
FOR ME THEY ARE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD. THEY ARE SO SPECIAL,BECAUSE
THEY ARE VERY LIKE HUMANS. KILLING THEM IS LIKE KILLING OTHER HUMAN,FOR ME.