Pandas
Endangered Species
Species Information
The current status of the Giant Panda is endangered. It is one of the most critically endangered species in the world and has been endangered since 1984. Without conservation efforts, it is predicted that pandas will soon be extinct. They are found in dense forests and mountains of the central China area. Pandas adapt by having large molars and a strong jaw to bite through and chew thick and tough bamboo. Also, their fur makes it difficut for them to be spotted when in trees.
Threats
There are several different components that have caused the giant panda to become endangered. One reason is poaching. People use the fur of the panda to sell, and in China, some of the pandas organs are used as medicine. Another reason is that pandas have slow reproductive rates and short life span. They are not rapidly being replaced when one dies. Perhaps the biggest threat to pandas is deforestation. Pandas need to live in damp foresty areas in order to survive and be able to eat. Many of their habitats are being destroyed for agricultural and industrial reasons, leaving many pandas with no homes.
Conservation Efforts
The WWF is a big organization that has been working to save pandas in China since 1980. In China, the giant panda is the most highly protected animal. China's government banned logging in areas where Pandas are living to conserve their bamboo, and habitats. Deforestation in certain areas has also been banned. There are also 33 panda reserves in China that are trying to protect the pandas in those reserves. Also, poaching is illegal in China. Fines are given out to people who are caught hunting pandas.
Impact
Pandas have a big affect on the vegetation of forests in china. Pandas diet consists of 90% bamboo. By eating so much bamboo they keep the forest floors clean and allow for vegetation to grow. Also, Pandas travel with the bamboo so they spread the seeds as they move so more bamboo is able to grow. They keep the forests dense and lush.
The Sneezing Baby Panda