If a panda comes into contact with another one, they'll growl, swat, and bite each other until one gives up and leaves. There is no doubt that the giant panda is one of the loveliest animals in the world.
But don't take it lightly if you see a wild panda, even though the chance of this happening is almost zero. When you join in a panda volunteer program at a panda base, please do not wear perfume or nail polish, and do not make any noise or sudden movements that might startle or irritate the pandas. Many bears hibernate but giant pandas don't.
One reason is that bamboo doesn't provide enough nutrients for them to be able to live through the winter. Wild pandas live for up to 20 years in the wild. With medical and nutritional help in captivity, pandas can live for more than 30 years. Read on to learn more about a giant panda's life cycle. China Highlights uses cookies to give you the best possible service. If you continue browsing, you agree to the use of cookies.
More details can be found in our privacy policy. Home Travel Guide Giant Pandas. Giant Panda Volunteer Program. Top 7 Things to Do in Chengdu. Hike in wild pandas' habitat. How to Plan a Panda Tour. As a result, the composition of the forest changes—fewer large trees, more shrubby undergrowth. Pandas mark trees with a waxy substance secreted from glands beneath their tails as a way to communicate and find mates. But when takins rub against trees to relieve itchiness, they can eliminate or diminish the scent marks.
According to Wang, northern Chinese boars may be even more troublesome for pandas. Both are protected in China. No official estimate of boar numbers exists, but anecdotally it appears that they outnumber takins, their range is larger, and their impact on the environment far more pronounced, he says. Each spring, young bamboo shoots provide a valuable source of protein and nutrients for pandas, particularly for pregnant or lactating mothers.
But boars also like to eat young shoots, and research shows that pandas avoid foraging in areas inhabited by boars. Meanwhile, panda numbers increased in neighboring areas with few boars.
Furthermore, boars carry diseases such as canine distemper and swine fever, which can jump to other species. Giant pandas have very few natural predators , and in the past, animals such as snow leopards, a type of wild dog called a dhole, and wolves kept takin and boar numbers in check.
But these apex predators have nearly disappeared , according to a study co-authored by William McShea , a wildlife ecologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, in Front Royal, Virginia. Wildlife officials lack sufficient data on either takins or boars to develop management plans that would balance their numbers and needs with those of pandas, according to Wang.
In his book The Last Panda , naturalist George Schaller described the panda as a species beset by poaching, habitat loss, and bad management. Today, poaching is rare, and logging has been all-but eliminated inside and outside reserves. They also assist conservationists and biologists by collecting vital information about the animals. Rangers usually live inside the reserves, trekking up to weeks at a time through mountainous bamboo forests to maintain camera traps and record wildlife behavior.
One measure Chinese conservationists have adopted is to breed and raise pandas in captivity with the aim of releasing them into reserves to bolster wild populations. The effort has had mixed success. So far, 14 pandas have been released, 12 of them captive-bred. Of those, nine have survived.
The two others were wild pandas that had been rescued and kept in captivity. The only released panda ever confirmed to successfully breed in the wild was one of the wild rescues. Read more about pandas being reintroduced into the wild. In late , the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas announced a plan to release three pandas in Jiangxi Province, where the animals have been extinct for at least 10, years. Back in the s, there were as few as 1, pandas in China.
But the most recent survey in estimated that there were 1, pandas living in the wild. The decision is a recognition of the hard work of the Chinese government, local communities, nature reserve staff and WWF over many years. But the panda's long term future is not yet secure. It is an achievement to celebrate. But pandas remain scattered and vulnerable, and much of their habitat is threatened by poorly-planned infrastructure projects.
And remember: there are still only 1, left in the wild. After decades of work, it is clear that the future of pandas and their forest home depends on even greater efforts, especially with the increasing impact of climate change. It will require even more government investment, stronger partnerships with local communities and a wider understanding of the importance for people of conserving wildlife and the landscapes in which they live. And it will certainly need your continued support.
Our approach evolved with decades of monitoring and research. You can help by donating to our conservation work today.
0コメント