Giant Pandas found in China are amongst the rarest and endangered species in the world and the growing concern to prevent these black and white bears from going into extinction keeps mounting by the day. Native to the South Western China and Central Western, these animals are found mostly in the province of Sichuan in China. Today, there are an estimated total of 239 Giant Pandas within the captivity of China while 27 are outside the borders of China and only a mere 1,590 living in the wild. This extremely low figure has resulted in Giant Pandas being enlisted amongst the endangered list and breeding more is becoming a necessity by the day.
Peaceful by nature, these creatures of the wild are differentiated from the bear family for the distinctive features they have. With black eye patches and ears, their legs, paws and muzzle are coated in think black fur while the rest of their body is covered in snowy white fur. In terms of heights these gentle giants reach up to the size of 1.2 to 1.8 metres of which a male panda can weigh up to a good 160 kilograms and females can weigh from as little as 75 to 125 kilograms.
While bamboo makes up 99% of a Panda’s diet, the foods they consume if in captivity vary from those roaming in the wild. A Panda in a conservatory facility will be fed with eggs, honey, yams, fish, oranges, shrub leaves and bananas in addition to specially prepared rations while a Panda in the wild occasionally consume wild tubers, other grasses or even the occasional meat which comes in the form of rodents, carrion or small birds.
The behaviour of Giant Pandas is the main reason for their short fall in breeding. These solitary animals like to have their own territory, especially the female who refuses the presence of other females in their vicinity. Whether they are in captivity or in the wilderness these mammals have a very low birth rate which makes them all the more endangered. Conservation facilities in China as with a few other zoos around the world are striving hard to breed these animals that have a short life span of 35 years at the most.
For those of you who love animals, a visit to Bifeng Gorge, Ya’an Pandas, the biggest Giant Panda institution in China is a must. These gentle giants are sure to call your sympathy for adorable as they look if not properly looked after, the generations to come might refer them on the same context as we do for dinosaurs; animals that have gone to extinction.
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