The giant panda has survived on Earth for at least 8 million years and is hailed as a "living fossil" and "national treasure of China." It serves as the flagship species for the conservation of global biodiversity as the ambassador of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The giant panda, endemic to China, mainly inhabits mountainous regions in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. Due to its adorable appearance, it is beloved by people from all over the world. However, in recent years, the population has dwindled to the brink of extinction. Despite having no natural predators in the wild, why is the giant panda facing extinction?
1. Difficulty in Reproduction
Pandas are solitary animals and only seek mates during the breeding season. They attract each other by leaving their scent in various places and engage in various courtship activities in dense bamboo forests. Female pandas go into estrus once a year for only a brief 2-3 days. If they fail to find a mate during this period, it's challenging to reproduce offspring during that breeding season. Pandas have a low reproductive rate, and their cubs have a low survival rate.
2. Low Survival Rate
Giant panda cubs are born underdeveloped, weighing only 0.1% of their mother's weight. They are incredibly light at birth, averaging about 145 grams, which is only one-thousandth of the weight of an adult panda. Rearing cubs is a daunting task for female pandas, often lasting 18 months or even up to two years until their next offspring is born. In the wild, if twins are born, the mother panda usually neglects or rejects the weaker one to ensure the survival of the stronger cub. The highly specialized reproductive capacity and maternal behavior of pandas contribute to their slow population growth.
3. Poor Nutrient Absorption
Giant pandas primarily feed on bamboo, but they have a low digestive efficiency for it. Food stays in their bodies for a short time, so they consume large quantities of bamboo and excrete quickly to obtain sufficient energy. This restriction on energy intake greatly affects their activities, requiring them to maximize energy intake while minimizing energy expenditure. Most of their time is spent collecting, preparing, and eating bamboo, regardless of their posture (sitting, lying down, or leaning). They continuously strip bamboo and consume bamboo leaves.
4. Decrease in Habitat
The distribution of giant pandas is quite limited, mainly in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi, the Min Mountains at the junction of Gansu and Sichuan, and six isolated areas in Sichuan, including Qionglai Mountains, Daxiangling Mountains, Xiaoxiangling Mountains, and Da and Xiao Liang Mountains. The actual habitat area is less than 20% of the total area. Habitat fragmentation and human interference are the main factors affecting the distribution of giant pandas today. Fragmented habitats and isolated distribution pose significant disadvantages for panda reproduction and resistance to natural disasters.
<img data-image_ids="[]" data-story_id="0" image_type="1" img_height="300" img_width="533" mime_type="image/jpeg" src="https://p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/pgc-image/ef4f4731d4291a11407c937d928cd~noop.image?_iz=58558&from=article.pc_detail&lk3s=953192f4&x-expires=1715363133&x-signature=8ILpe8d8xWejmfipeu%2BTMMwtD3E%3D" web_uri="pgc-image/ef4f4731d4291a11407c937d928cd" alt="Why Are Pandas on the
停止盗猎以保护濒危大熊猫。大熊猫的发现在西方世界引起了轰动，吸引了无数探险家、游猎者和博物馆标本采集者蜂拥而至。他们为揭开大熊猫之谜而不惜猎杀这种珍奇动物。大熊猫因其稀有和可爱，一度成为全球瞩目的动物明星。
面对这种疯狂的猎杀，中国政府从20世纪40年代起出台政策，严禁外国人捕猎野生大熊猫。一系列保护措施得以实施：建立和扩大自然保护区，有效保护大熊猫及其栖息地。这些举措对于遏制大熊猫的濒危处境至关重要。
我们呼吁所有人携手保护大熊猫这一宝贵的物种。请提高人们对盗猎危害性的认识，支持反盗猎组织，并尽可能向当地保护机构伸出援手。只有共同努力，我们才能确保大熊猫世代繁衍，免于灭绝的威胁。