The Giant Panda

Introduction
Scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
It is believed that the Giant Panda made its first appearance during the Pleistocene period. Scientists have debated whether the panda belongs to the bear family, the raccoon family, or a separate family of their own. Nowadays, due to many reasons, the panda is in danger of becoming extinct. The Giant Panda is our topic of interest because it is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing species that is vulnerable to becoming extinct, a tragedy that we hope to avoid!!!

Weight: 165-353 pounds Body Length: 4-5 feet Scent gland is positioned under the tail. Vision is poor. They are nocturnal. They have a good sense of smell. Fur is slightly oily, preventing water penetration. Their molars are broad and flat, adapting for chewing bamboo.

 Pandas are omnivorous Bamboo makes up 95% of their diet They sit when they eat. They eat 12 hours a day, and consume 12-15% of their body weight. (Thats the life!!!) Pandas are chronically dehydrated.

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 Solitary in their habitats. Avoid contact with their own kinds in the wild. Seen with a partner only during the mating season. When threatened, pandas lower their heads and stare at their opponents to signify aggression.

 Reach breeding maturity between 4 to 10 years of age. Mating takes place between March and May. Courtship is done by female squirting urine as a calling card for the males. While males compete for the female, the female perches in a tree. Gestation period varies from about 97 to 165 days. Average life span in the wild is about 15 years; in captivity, about 20 years.

 Usually in the month August or September, one or two cubs are born. Cubs weigh approx. 3 to 5 oz. They are born blind and hairless. When there are two cubs, one usually dies due to the mothers rejection. After 15 to 18 months, the cub becomes independent.

 The giant panda only exists in six small areas located in inland China, including the bamboo forests of Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces.

The size of the home range of a giant panda is quite small compared to other bears species. In general, a home range will vary from 1.5 to 2.5 square miles. The range of an individual giant panda is shared with other bears.

Nobin says
KILL
Clearance of its habitat for agriculture and logging, as well as poaching and the mass flowering if its staple food, bamboo, have brought panda numbers down to an estimated 1,000 animals in the wild.

Panda conservation began in China during the 1940s, but was initially restricted to field research. In 1963, the Chinese Government created Wolong as a forest reserve, now better known as a panda reserve because of the number of pandas living there. By 1992, there were 13 panda reserves, covering a total area of 6,049km.

Conservation Efforts
Chinese Ministry of Forestry and the WWF have the following plan outlined for conservation: The creation of 14 new reserves The maintenance of forest habitat links between isolated panda populations The strengthening of rural development activities to reduce the dependency of local people on collecting forest products and wild game in panda habitat The reduction in intensity of logging activities in panda habitat outside reserves The strengthening of conservation education and public awareness activities