Did You Know There Are Only 1600 Giant Pandas Left In The Wild?

The giant panda is often seen as the ambassador for all species that are endangered and with their distinctive black fur around their ears and eyes, are a well recognised symbol of international wildlife conservation. In fact WWF has used the giant panda as its mascot since 1961. The giant panda is not only one of the world’s most beloved species, it is also amongst the world’s most endangered.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that there are only 1600 pandas left in the wild with approximately a further 100 living in different zoos around the world. Lets learn a little more about this amazing species that is so elusive in the wild, they can be difficult to find.

Some basic giant panda facts

The giant panda can be distinguished from other types of panda bears by their black and white colouring and large size. Experts believe that the giant panda’s distinctive bold colouring functions as camouflage. The giant panda certainly lives up to its name:

• They measure between 4 to 5 feet or 1.2 to 1.5 metres.
• They weigh up to 300 lbs (21 stone) or 136 kilograms.
• Giant pandas are about the same size and weight as the American black bear.
• Their distant cousin the red panda measures only 20 to 26 inches or 50 to 65 cm.

Where can you find the giant panda?

The only place where giant pandas can be found in the wild is the remote, mountainous regions of central China because this is the only part of the world which offers the cool climate and wet bamboo forests that giant pandas love. The giant panda also likes to make its nest from the stumps or hollowed out logs of conifer trees found within the forests that are abundant in the region. Giant pandas used to live in lowland areas but forest clearing, farming, and other human development has meant the giant panda is now restricted to the mountain ranges of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.

Giant pandas love bamboo

The giant panda has an insatiable appetite for bamboo. According to National Geographic, these animals feed on the stuff for as many as 12 hours a day and when you add all that up, it amounts to 28 lbs or 12.5 kg of bamboo each day. The main reason they have to eat so much is that bamboo does not contain a lot of nutrients, so to supplement their diet the giant panda also feeds on birds, fish, rodents and insects. The giant panda has a stomach that is perfectly suited for digesting bamboo. Its stomach is lined with mucus which prevents any splinter punctures and the walls of the stomach are extremely muscular which helps with the digestion of the bamboo.

The panda doesn’t like company

Giant pandas are solitary creatures. In fact they have a strong disliking of being around other members of their species. They have a sense of smell that is so strong that it lets them detect when another panda is close by in order to avoid it. If for some reason two giant panda’s run into each other, they will end up growling and swatting at each other and in some cases they have even been known to bite one another. The giant panda has a territory that is on average about 1.9 square miles or 5 square kilometres. In order to define their territory the giant panda will mark it with a waxy secretion which will tell other bears its age, sex, and reproductive condition. The only time giant pandas actively seek each other out is when it is mating season. The male panda will use its sense of smell to find females that are ready to mate.

Panda cubs are tiny

Mating season for the giant panda is during spring. Females have a pregnancy that lasts between 100 to 180 days and usually give birth to one or two cubs. Cubs are tiny when they are born, weighing between 3 to 5 ounces (85 to 142 grams). Cubs stay with the mother until they are 18 months, at which point they are weaned and sent to live on their own. Female cubs reach maturity at between four to five years whilst male cubs mature between six to seven years of age.

Conservation status

There are not many giant pandas left, either in the wild or in captivity and as we said earlier, the IUCN categorises the species as endangered. You may be surprised to learn that this is actually an improvement. Back in the 80’s the giant panda was listed as rare. The most recent assessment which took place in 2008 estimated there were less than 2,500 fully mature wild giant pandas left and before that an in depth survey which took place in 2002 pegged the population at roughly 1,600. What the experts can agree on is that we need to do something about wild panda numbers because clearly they are in danger of extinction. To prevent that from happening, China has established 50 panda reserves that serve to protect 45 per cent of the giant panda’s habitat. You could help with conservation by adopting a giant panda for just £3 a month so hopefully this beautiful animal will be around for many generations to come.