The future for the giant panda is uncertain.
The wild population of giant panda is about 1000 individuals, with around 100
individuals in zoos in China and around the world. Some of the problems they
face are natural, but some are caused by humans. Pandas do not have many offspring
during their lifetime. Although the adults have few predators besides man, the
cubs are very small and may be attacked by leopards. Another problem is their
diet! Bamboo grows in large patches, and different types of bamboo flower in
different years. After it flowers, the bamboo dies back, leaving nothing behind
to be eaten. Pandas must travel from one good patch to another to find food.
Pandas have to travel to find new patches, and sometimes human-built villages
are in the way as they mover from patch to patch.
What is being done to protect giant pandas?
To save panda habitat, the Chinese government has set aside 12 nature preserves
where bamboo flourishes and giant pandas are known to live. Fragile panda habitat
will be protected from development by people and also from damage caused by
cattle, sheep and goats as they graze on any emerging seedlings and trample
the thin mountain soil. Efforts are being made to introduce pandas to new areas
not currently occupied by it in order to expand its habitat. Strips of land,
called bamboo corridors, have been created to help pandas migrate or move from
one area to another. This technique opens more habitat to pandas. When pandas
move greater distances to find mates, they can spread their genes further in
the population.