GIANT PANDA

High in dense bamboo forests in the misty, rainy mountains of southwestern China lives one of the world's rarest mammals: the giant panda, also called the panda. Only about 1,000 of these blackand-white relatives of bears survive in the wild. Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves.

CHARACTERISTICS & habitat

How tall is a giant panda? It is approximately 650-750 mm high at shoulder 640-650 mm high at the hips.
How long is the body of a giant panda? It is approximately 1.2m-1.8m long. How many teeth does a giant panda have? It has 24 deciduous teeth and 40 - 42 permanent teeth. What is the average weight of an adult giant panda? Wild giant pandas weigh 60 -73kg with the heaviest reaching 110kg. Do giant pandas climb trees? Yes. They are very accomplished tree climbers. Habitat Pandas live mainly bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China.

PANDA POPULATION GROWTH CHART

REASONS OF DECREASE
Climate change escalation Global climate changed drastically, deteriorating living conditions. Hunting of giant pandas by Man Hunting reduced the Giant Panda's already limited population by local and foreign hunters who hunted in China. Unrestricted expansion of human activities With the huge levels of population growth and urban development, forests are being cut down on a large scale, which, in turn, severely damages the habitat and reduces the living area of the giant panda Single type of staple food Giant pandas have a very narrow diet breadth, eating mainly bamboo.

STEPS TAKEN BY GOVT THAT HELP

Established protect the habitat.

nature reserves to giant pandas natural

Passed laws to make the protection of giant pandas compulsory. Enforced natural forest protection and grain to green projects to protect and expand the habitats of giant pandas. Create corridors for the fragmented small populations to migrate freely so that a larger group can be formed. Conduct in captivity protection and multi-disciplinary research. Conduct trials and research to release captive giant pandas back to natural environment.

HOW CAN YOU HELP TO SPREAD AWARENESS

Raise Awareness Spread the word in your communities about the giant panda being an endangered species. 2. Clean up a Wildlife Refuge Volunteer your time to help clean debris and weeds from a nearby designated wildlife habitat. 3. Support Zoos, Aquariums & even Sea World It is because of zoos, aquariums and even places like Sea World that we have been able to learn about many species. 4. Be Respectful to Mother Earth Pesticides, landfills, off shore drilling. Find alternative methods and recycle as much of your waste as possible. By doing your part, you are lightening a heavy load our nation is resting on the shoulders of our great planet.