I will be giving a speech today about Pandas in my speech class in about 45 minutes from now. and I just want to give some facts from my speech to help educate those of you who think Pandas are just furry little bears that are fun and cute to look at. "
What kinds of Pandas are there?
The kind most of you know about is the Giant Panda, also called the "black and white cat-foot". There is another predominant kind, the Red Panda, known as the "shining cat."
What do they eat?
Pandas actually belong to the order Carnivora, which means they have the teeth and the digestive system which is developed for meat eating. Due to their gentle nature however, most choose to be herbivores. Most of you probably think Pandas just eat bamboo all day. Wrong. Although bamboo makes up 99% (20-30 lbs) of the Giant Panda diet, they also are know to eat honey, eggs, fish, shrub leaves, oranges, bananas and yams. A Red Pandas diet is 2/3 bamboo (up to 9 lbs), but they also eat berries, fruit, mushrooms, roots, acorns, grasses, and occasionally young birds, eggs, small rodents, and insects, and will readily eat meat in captivity.
Where do they live?
Pandas are well known as China dwellers. The Giant Panda lives in the mountainous regions of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Tibet. The Red Panda, aside from living in the Gongshan and Henguan mountains of China, also live in the Himalayan Foothills of western Nepal, Southern Tibet Bhutan, northeast India, and the highlands of Burma (Myanmar).
What does it mean to be Endangered?
Being endangered means the species is at a low enough number to be considered close to extinction. According to the last report, there are 239 Giant Pandas in Captivity in China and 27 outside the country, and between 2, 000 and 3, 000 in the wild. There is no reliable number for the Red Panda population, but it is estimated that are are 2,500 mature Red Pandas.
The population boom of China in the late 1940's caused much habitat loss for the Giant Pandas, and the deforestation and agricultural boom of Nepal depleted much of the Red Panda habitat. The hunger faminie created by the population boom of China increased hunting of wildlife, including the Pandas. Even after Panda hunting was outlawdd, Giant Pandas were still illegally poached for the black market because of their soft furs, and Red Pandas for their bushy tails which were used to make good luck hats for newlywed couples and also sold into the illegal pet trade. Another reason for their low population is that Pandas have a low birth rate. Giant Panda mothers give birth to only 2-3 offspring in their lifetime, and Red Pandas have only one single or twin birth per year.
What is being done to save these Pandas?
Woolong National Nature Reserve was established in 1958 to try and save the declining Giant and Red Panda population. As of 2006, there are known to be 40 Panda reserves in China. I hope to travel to China one day and work with the Pandas at the Woolong National Nature Reserve.
*If you have any questions about Pandas, or just want to talk about them, you can always message me or leave me a comment :)
