I. So how did the panda get endangered?
A. Food supply problems
B. Humans -- encroachment of territory and poaching
C. Low reproduction
1. Physical problems -- male pandas
2. Low survival rate of cubs
3. Poor mothering skills
II. What's being done to help save the panda
A. Creating preserves
B. Poacher penalties
C. Increasing fertility
1. Breeding in captivity
2. Artificial insemination and test tube babies
3. Cloning
III. What we still don't know and still need to do
References
The Giant Panda is a well known animal worldwide and yet so much is not known about it. From its beginnings (According to the "Ted Cases" report, pandas have thrived in China for more than 3 million years (1996) while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service puts it at closer to 600,000 years (1997)) to its lifespan (the USFWS says their life span is 15 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity (1997) while the Endangered Animals Center says the lifespan of a wild panda is about 25 years or more (1996)), contradictory data shows how little is really known about the black and white bear. (Even its designation in the bear family is highly debated, some say it is more closely related to the raccoon and others want to create a new animal family for it.)
"In Chinese, the giant panda is known as Daxiongmao, the 'large bear cat.' . . . its scientific name means 'black and white cat-footed animal.' " (United States Fish and Wildlife Services [USFWS], 1997)
"Giant pandas are bear-like in shape with striking black and white markings. The ears, eye patches, legs, and shoulder band are black; the rest of the body is whitish. They have a thick, wooly coat to insulate them from the cold. Adults are 4 to 6 feet long and may weight up to 350 pounds -- about the same size as the American black bear. However, unlike the black bear, giant pandas do not hibernate and cannot walk on their hind legs." (USFWS)
"Giant panda bears have a massive head, heavy body, short tail, rounded ears and plantigrade feet (i.e., both heel and toe make contact with the ground when walking in a manner similar to humans). A sedentary bear, . . . giant pandas generally move in a slow, determined manner. When startled, they will move at a slow trot to escape danger. Giant pandas, with their short claws, are capable of climbing trees very easily." (Boubel, 1996)
"Vision is poor. Their pupils have a vertical slit like many nocturnal animals. Sense of smell is very good. Brown and white pandas exist but are extremely rare." (Zoological Society of San Diego, 1997)
Picky eaters should pick a food with an endless supply
"Another problem is related to the natural flowering cycle of the bamboo. At regular intervals, ranging from 10 to over 100 years depending ont he species, bamboo comes into flower and over large areas and then dies. it takes the bamboo about one year to regenerate from seed, but it can up to 20 years before it can support a panda population. During this time, the pandas have to move to other areas where the bamboo has not flowered. in the past, this did not pose a problem, but with expanding human populations, large areas of natural forest habitat are no longer available and the pandas' movements have been restricted." (World Wildlife Fund Canada, 1997)
Humans have a way of moving in and taking over
Yet another panda problem is poaching. Giant pandas are also susceptible to poaching, or illegal killing, as their dense fur carries a high price in illegal markets in the Far East. (USFWS) "In the second century AD the giant panda was a rare and semi-divine animals inside China. In the Han dynasty (206 BC - A[D] 24) the emperor's garden in the then capital Xian held nearly 40 rare animal specials, of which the panda was the most highly treasured, and the poet Bai Juyi (AD 772-846) credited the panda with the power to prevent disease and exorcise evil spirits. Panda skins appear scattered throughout the Chinese imperial records, as gifts or tribute on great occasions of states." (Author unknown, 1997) "The panda was believed to have magical powers that could ward off natural disasters and evil spirits. Writings about the pandas can be traced back 3,000 years. They were even kept as pets by Chinese emperors." (Boubel, 1996)
"In 1984, due to its dwindling numbers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the giant panda as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This means it is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. This protection also prohibits giant pandas from being imported into the U.S. except under certain conditions." (USFWS)
I don't know 'nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies!
"Said Ginette Hemley, World Wildlife Fund's director of international wildlife policy, 'Giant pandas in the wild are so endangered every newborn gives us renewed hope that we will eventually succeed in increasing the wild population.' " (World Wildlife Fund [WWF], 1996)
It's a little personal
These little babies are tiny
When two panda cubs are born, generally only one survives. Giant panda cubs are extremely vulnerable while the mother is away feeding on bamboo. During this time, the newborn is subject to predation by any number of predators. The cubs will stay with the mother for the entire first year to year and a half. Normally they are driven off by their mother as she prepares to breed once more.
It's tough being a panda mom
Give 'em land lots of land
Get rid of those poachers
Meddle with their mating
Breeding in captivity
"1996 marks the beginning of a 12-year giant panda loan agreement between the San Diego Zoo and the People's Republic of China. The Zoological Society of San Diego will contribute $1,000,000 annually to further the cause of wild panda habitat protection. Funds will specifically go to 3 of China's nature reserves in Sichuan Province: Wujiao, Baodinggou, and Yele. In addition, behaviorists, endocrinologists, reproductive physiologists, geneticists and others at the Zoological Society's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species will begin in-depth studies of panda behavior and reproductive biology." (Zoological Society of San Diego) Part of the Zoological Society's agreement with China is that Shi Shi and Bai Yun are on loan for 12 years, but that loan will be reviewed every three years. If a cub is born during the loan and survives, China will retain ownership." (Zoological Society of San Diego)
Artificial insemination and test tube babies
"Artificial insemination has had limited success so far but new methods of meddling with the panda's reproductive system are in the pipeline. The immediate next step is embryo transfer -- fertilizing extracted eggs of dead pandas and implanting the 'test tube' embryo in healthy females. This method was expected to be used within five years, scientists said.
Cloning
"Preservation of pandas through cloning may only work if a related species, for example black bears, could be induced to foster their embryos. Skeptics say that is a long shot. 'If I had to pick a species that would benefit least from cloning, then I have to pick pandas,' said Oliver Ryder, who chairs the Genetics Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species in San Diego. 'There is nothing else we can use as a surrogate mother,' said Ryder. 'You can have a domestic sheep have the baby of an endangered wild sheep, but you can't do that with the Giant Panda.' Even if -- and that's a big if -- cloning works, many scientist said the technique could do more harm than good by limiting genetic diversification. 'Cloning is not useful for saving a species because it is essentially a form of asexual reproduction which will shrink the gene pool,' said Zhyan Anju, a prominent biologist working on panda embryo implantation. It has reached the point where campaigners to save China's national emblem will try almost anything. Event he Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has banned human gene cloning and warned of the environmental dangers of cloning animals and plants, has dropped its ethical objections when it comes to pandas.
"Scientists in China are toying with the idea of cloning in a desperate bid to save the panda from extinction. Researchers have started work on the controversial technique in an effort to save the species. 'Technically, we have made important initial breakthroughs,' said He Shaohua, deputy mayor of Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province where 80 percent of China's last 1,000 or so pandas live. Genetic scientists were encouraged by the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep and Polly the lamb in Scotland this year. But skeptics caution that what worked for domestic sheep is highly unlikely to provide the magic alternative tot he seemingly hopeless task of getting the anatomically-deficient pandas to mate more often." (Inside China Today)
We still do not even understand why they are colored the way they are. "George Schaller has advanced the best hypothesis to date,...Giant pandas are a solitary species and generally try to avoid one another. Such a conspicuous coat may enable them to spot one another in their dense bamboo habitat, thereby avoid unwanted encounters. . . . A very ancient instance among vertebrates is the fear of two facing eyes. If someone is looking directly at you, then they may be about to attack. Fish respond fearfully to two dots drawn on a piece of paper if they are oriented horizontally not if they are vertically oriented. Lizards respond more fearfully to such "eyes" if they are larger or closer, suggesting a big close predator and virtually every animal including humans, interpret a direct stare a s a threat. With this in mind, it seems plausible that the role of the panda's eye patches is to accentuate and enlarge the eyes. Because the black ears look almost like another set of eyes, the threat is, in effect, doubled." (Zoological Society of San Diego)
Whatever the reasons are for why they are the way they are, this author sincerely hopes that all this work will pay off as this generation tries to save the panda.