Ever since the dawn of time man and animals have co-existed in the same environment.

Man is also classified as an animal. Our needs are similar. We are all an integral part of the magnificent diversity of life on Earth.

Our relationship with all life on Earth is symbiotic.*

Animals have killed man. Man has through the ages killed animals of all species directly and indirectly in ever increasing numbers.

Many species have become extinct. Many many more are on the verge of extinction.

The loss of just one species is a loss to us all.

Each loss may seem like a small loss but the balance to our fragile eco-sytem is permanent.

The damage can never ever be undone.

But Its NOT too late if you act now.

THE GIANT PANDA

The Giant Panda has in many ways become symbolic of the conservation efforts of so many. In fact the World Wildlife Fund has since 1981 adopted the Panda as it's symbol.

But despite all that, almost unbelievably the giant panda's future is still uncertain.

Its habitat is diminishing through man's encroachment into their natural habitat, illegal hunting and their reluctance to breed naturally.

We aim to ensure the future of the Giant Panda

We will do this by directing funds raised to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding & Research Foundation in Sichuan, China, Professor Pan Wenshi, Director of the Giant Panda and Wildlife Conservation Research Centre, Peking University, China, Wolong National Park and other worthwhile causes to help save the Giant Panda from extinction.

Giant Pandas need your help. They need EVERYONE'S help.

So PLEASE ACT NOW Ensure the future of the Giant Panda by joining us and simply telling people about us. Raising awareness is just one part of the rather simple equation for ensuring the rich diversity of life on this planet.

By joining us you will receive the following FREE bonuses

You will have done your bit in helping to save the Giant Panda   You WILL feel good about it   You can show your friends your very own "Giant Panda" website.   You will be seen as someone who cares.   You WILL gain the respect of your friends.   You WILL gain the respect of MANY people around the world.

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Scientific classification

(Genus and Species, Family, Order): Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Ursidae, Carnivora.

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Geographic information

Giant Pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces. Farming, deforestation and other development now restrict Giant Pandas to the mountain areas.

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Habitat

Giant Pandas live in forests with a dense growth of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year, mean that these forests are often shrouded in heavy clouds.

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Physical description

The Giant Panda is bear-like in shape. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, nose, legs, and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is white. Although scientists do not know why the Giant Panda is black and white, some speculate that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage into their shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings. The panda's thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. Giant Pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo which is the Giant Panda's staple diet.

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Size

Giant Pandas stand between two and three feet tall at the shoulder, and reach four to six feet long. Males are larger than females, weighing up to 115 kgs in the wild. Females rarely reach 100 kgs.

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Status

The Giant Panda is listed as endangered. There are about 1,600 left in the wild. It is one of the most critically endangered species in the world. As well as farming and the destruction of the forests, illegal hunting is still a major setback to the Giant Panda population, with a Giant Panda pelt reputed to be worth between $2500.00 and $10000.00 on the open market.

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Life Span

Scientists aren't sure how long Giant Pandas live in the wild, but they are sure it's shorter than the lifespan if the Giant Panda in captivity. Chinese scientists have reported zoo pandas as old as 35.

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Diet

A wild Giant Panda's diet is almost exclusively (99%) bamboo. The balance consists of other grasses and occasional small rodents. In zoos, Giant Pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes. At the Chengdu Base Of Giant Panda Breeding, large quantities of bamboo have to be brought in from outlying areas as food. There are different types of bamboo and some are not suitable for the Giant Panda Diet.

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Feeding adaptations

A panda usually eats while sitting upright, in a pose that resembles how humans sit on the floor. This posture leaves the front paws free to grasp bamboo stems with the help of a "pseudo thumb," formed by an elongated and enlarged wrist bone covered with a fleshy pad of skin. The panda also uses its powerful jaws and strong teeth to crush the tough, fibrous bamboo into bits.

A Giant Panda's digestive system is similar to that of a carnivore rather than a herbivore, and so much of what is eaten is passed as waste. To make up for the inefficient digestion, a panda needs to consume a comparatively large amount of food--from 10 to 20 kilos of bamboo each day--to get all its nutrients. To obtain this much food means that a panda must spend 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating. The rest of its time is spent mostly sleeping and resting.

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Water

Wild Giant Pandas get much of the water they need from bamboo, the contents of which are about half water. (New bamboo shoots, however, are about 90 percent water.) But Giant Pandas need more water than the bamboo alone can provide. So almost every day wild Giant Pandas also drink fresh water from rivers and streams that are fed by melting snow in the high mountain peaks nearby.

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Reproduction

Giant Pandas reach breeding maturity between four and eight years of age. Female Giant Pandas ovulate only once a year, in the spring. A short period of two to three days around ovulation is the only time she is interested in mating and able to conceive. Calls and scents draw males and females to each other.

One problem of the breeding of Giant Panda's in the wild is their apparent shyness when it comes to mating. As well as natural mating at The Chengdu Base Of Giant Panda Breeding there have been many successful births from artificial insemination of female Giant Pandas.

Female Giant Pandas give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating. Although females may give birth to two young, only one usually survives. The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation has had continued success in this area with many sets of Giant Panda twins surviving.

Giant Pandas cubs may stay with their mothers for up to three years before striking out on their own. This means a wild female, at best, can only produce young every other year; in her lifetime, she may successfully raise only five to eight cubs. The Giant Pandas naturally slow breeding rate prevents a population from recovering quickly from illegal hunting, habitat loss, and other human-related causes of mortality.

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Development

At birth, the cub is helpless, and it takes considerable effort on the mother's part to raise it. A newborn cub weighs three to five ounces and is about 2 to 3 inches long. Pink, hairless, and blind, the cub is 1/900th the size of its mother. Except for a marsupial (kangaroo, opossum, and kin), a giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother's size. Cubs do not open their eyes until they are six to eight weeks of age and are not mobile until three months. A cub nurses for about eight to nine months. A cub is nutritionally weaned at one year, but not socially weaned for up to two years.

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Lifestyle

A wild Giant Panda spends much of its day resting, feeding, and seeking food. Unlike other bears from temperate climates, Giant Pandas do not hibernate. Until recently, scientists thought Giant Pandas spent most of their lives alone, with males and females meeting only during the breeding season. Recent studies paint a different picture, in which small groups of pandas share a large territory and sometimes meet outside the breeding season. Much remains to be learned about the secret lives of these elusive animals, and every new discovery helps scientists in their battle to save this species.

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We must surely now have convinced you that the Giant Panda is worth saving.

We NEED your help so Join Us Now !

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