photos by Andres Gomez

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) In south western China lies a landscape of towering mountain peaks, steep valleys and thick bamboo forests shrouded by mist and cloud. This is the home of the world's last giant pandas. Imagine waking up in a bamboo forest of China... the mist of the clouds hanging on the branches, and a giant panda looking back at you from a nearby tree!

A Panda's Palate Pandas eat a very specialized diet, and it is mainly bamboo! To stay healthy, they need to eat 14 hours a day, and they need to eat a lot - about 40 pounds of bamboo every day! They will also eat a few other plants, fish, and small mammals when they find them.

The giant panda has been the topic of a lot of debate among scientists in recent decades over how exactly to classify the animal. It shares some characteristics with bears, and some characteristics with raccoons. In the last 20 years, scientists have been able to link the panda to both bears and raccoons, but now believe them to be most closely related to bears. They are considered a "subfamily" of the bear family (Ursidae). The giant panda is about 1.2 - 1.5 meters in length and weighs 75 - 160 kg. They have a thick coat of black and white hair and are probably one of the most recognizable animals with a white body and head, black legs, ears, and eye patches. They are found only in the bamboo forests in the mountains of central Peoples Republic of China, including the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan. Pandas are usually found in the mountains at about 3000 meters above sea level. In the winter they sometimes make their way down to about 800 meters. They do not make a permanent den, but take shelter in any suitable cavity in trees or rock crevices. They do not hibernate, but instead come down to lower elevations where it is warmer and more food is available. Pandas live mainly on the ground, but are able to climb. They feed mainly on bamboo, but also eat other plants and small animals. Communication is through scent and vocalizations that range from chirps to growls. Pandas are solitary animals, but during the breeding season males may come in contact with each other and compete for access to females. Breeding season is March to May with births in August or September. Litters can be twins or triplets, but usually only single cubs are raised. Panda cubs are tiny at birth, weighing only around 100 grams and are totally dependant upon their mother for the first several months of life. About 40-60 days after birth their eyes open and they begin to walk at about 3-4 months. They begin to eat bamboo at about 5-6 months and are weaned around 8-9 months. At about 18 months of age they leave their mother. Pandas are mature at about 6 years of age. In captivity pandas have lived to be over 30 years old. The future for the giant panda is uncertain. The wild population of giant panda is about 1000 individuals, with around 100 individuals in zoos in China and around the world. Some of the problems they face are natural, but some are caused by humans. Pandas do not have many offspring during their lifetime. Although the adults have few predators besides man, the cubs are very small and may be attacked by leopards. Another problem is their diet! Bamboo grows in large patches, and different types of bamboo flower in different years. After it flowers, the bamboo dies back, leaving nothing behind to be eaten. Pandas must travel from one good patch to another to find food. Pandas have to travel to find new patches, and sometimes human-built villages are in the way as they mover from patch to patch. What is being done to protect giant pandas? To save panda habitat, the Chinese government has set aside 12 nature preserves where bamboo flourishes and giant pandas are known to live. Fragile panda habitat will be protected from development by people and also from damage caused by cattle, sheep and goats as they graze on any emerging seedlings and trample the thin mountain soil. Efforts are being made to introduce pandas to new areas not currently occupied by it in order to expand its habitat. Strips of land, called bamboo corridors, have been created to help pandas migrate or move from one area to another. This technique opens more habitat to pandas. When pandas move greater distances to find mates, they can spread their genes further in the population. Saving nature together: Wildlife Trust scientists and educators are working on similar solutions for many endangered and threatened species, including jaguars in Brazil, river dolphins in Argentina, elephants in India and Sri Lanka, zebras and asses in Ethiopia, and storks in Indonesia! A combination of science, innovation, and community support helps them find ways to save animals and their habitats all over the world. We believe that together, we can make a difference!

Survival is not easy in the bamboo forest, and today there are fewer than 1,000 giant pandas living in the wild. Pandas must also compete with people for living space in their fragile habitat. Just like with other endangered and species, humans have played a major role in reducing the numbers of pandas in the wild. Conservationists are working diligently to save these beloved animals from extinction. But the power of the panda extends beyond it's own backyard. Pandas are conservation ambassadors for other endangered species in their struggle for survival. Range map of the giant panda (in green). Front foot of a giant panda. Skull of a giant panda.

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c/o Wildlife Trust
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