Why did the number of wild Giant Pandas drop dramatically?

There are many reasons for the dramatic decrease in the wild population of pandas. These reasons are complex and include factors such as poaching, habitat destruction and degradation, the panda's low reproductive rate and bamboo flowering, followed by death of the plant.

Why do people poach Giant Pandas?

Giant pandas are not tasty to eat and its body components bear no known medicinal value. People in the past have poached pandas for exhibitions in zoos or their pelt are illegally sold, fetching high prices for display in museums and private collections. Giant pandas also fall victims of traps that are laid down for other animals. If they manage to struggle free of these traps, they may sustain injuries that are life threatening.

How is Giant Panda habitat being destructed?

Development activities such as deforestation for agricultural land and logging are on going to cope with the ever increasing population of China. These activities are carried out at the expense of the habitat of the pandas, forcing them to move higher up the mountains and isolating them in to discrete groups. In the past two decades, the size of pandas' habitat has decreased by 50%. Now their habitat only offers a total area is about 14,000 km2, divided into 10-20 isolated areas. In some smaller groups of pandas, only 3-5 individuals are found.

Why do Giant Pandas have low reproductive rate?

The reason for the low reproductive rate of Giant Pandas is due to a combination of factors including:

*Highly selective in choosing mating partners
*Receptive period for mating is very short
*Multiple-year gaps in giving birth, due to the long and intensive rearing period of cubs.
*Mortality rate is high amongst infants as they are very helpless and vulnerable.
*In-breeding in small isolated groups of Giant Pandas as a result of habitat fragmentation. (Inbreeding results in young that are less able to survive to full life span and causes loss of genetic diversity in the over all population.)

What is bamboo flowering?

Bamboo flowering is part of the natural life cycle to produce seedlings for the next generation. For the bamboo species that pandas prefer to eat, they flower every 30-80 years.

How does bamboo flowering affect Giant Pandas?

After flowering, the bamboo dies. If there is not another species of bamboo the pandas will eat in the same area or in a nearby area, these pandas face death due to starvation.

Why can't Giant Pandas migrate to another bamboo forest to feed when the bamboo in their forest of origin flowers?

Due to habitat degradation and destruction, bamboo forests are no longer large and uninterrupted. They are fragmented, separated by development and human settlement which prevent the pandas from roaming freely in search of different species of bamboo to feed in times of need.

What are the predators and competitors of Giant Pandas besides human beings?

Other wild animals such as leopards and wild dogs will prey on pandas. Animals such as the lesser pandas and monkeys will also eat bamboo. Therefore, there is competition for food with other species of animals as well as amongst the Giant Pandas themselves.