Every year on March 16, we honor the fluffiest, bamboo-eating bears that are a source of Chinese national pride. The Giant, black and white panda, and the ‘Qinling panda,’ a much smaller, brown subspecies of panda discovered in 1985 in the mountain ranges of China’s southern Shaanxi Province, are the two subspecies of panda. Giant pandas can only be found in the wild in China’s isolated mountainous regions. Pandas’ status was upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” species in 2019 due to rapidly increasing population numbers.
Despite this, habitat loss, farming, fur harvesting, and other factors have resulted in less than 2,000 pandas remaining in the wild. Pandas survive about 15 to 20 years in the wild, but they can live far longer in captivity. Panda bears play a vital role in China’s bamboo forest environment by dispersing seeds and so promoting the growth of fresh flora that benefits both humans and animals. That is why it is critical to save the panda and its habitat.
The low birth rate of pandas is one reason leading to their endangered condition. Given that female pandas are only fertile for two or three days a year, it’s understandable that reproduction in the wild is more challenging. There are around 27 zoos in the globe that conserve Giant Pandas and provide breeding habitats. The most crucial component in protecting wild pandas is to safeguard their ecosystem, particularly bamboo forests, which are their primary food source.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL PANDA DAY
Though the origins of this festival are unknown, we can infer that it was founded to raise awareness of pandas’ beauty in order to prevent their extinction. The World Wide Fund for Nature was founded in 1961, and their logo was based on the Panda because it is “a beautiful, endangered, and cherished by many people around the world,” as one of the earliest WWF founders, Sir Peter Scott, put it. The panda became a global emblem of the conservation movement, a rallying cry to protect endangered species and natural environmental habitats for our wild animals.
Pandas are classified “vulnerable” to extinction in 2020 due to zoo breeding attempts, reforestation, and conservation campaigns. Despite the fact that pandas are no longer on the verge of extinction, it is critical to preserve their habitat since they perform a crucial role in our natural ecology. Recently, there have been significant political arguments in China and around the world about how necessary it is to continue investing money to breed pandas in captivity while also protecting China’s forests, which are home to wild panda bears. According to a 2015 scientific report released by The Society for Conservation Biology, conserving the giant panda’s native habitat benefits 70% of the country’s forest birds, 70% of mammals, and 31% of amphibians.
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NATIONAL PANDA DAY ACTIVITIES
1.Watch a nature documentary about pandas
The cartoon series ‘Kung Fu Panda’ is a good place to start, but real-life documentaries will do pandas justice better. Watch “A Panda Is Born — Documentary About Taishan,” for example, which chronicles the life of one of the world’s most renowned pandas, Taishan, who was born in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and is the world’s first panda to reach adulthood.
2. To start a discussion, dress up as a panda
Wear panda-themed clothing or purchase panda-themed merchandise, especially if it helps to save the panda species. You never know who could be interested in learning more about these critters than just their fluffy cuteness.
3. Adopt a Panda
“Adopt a Panda” is a campaign that encourages people to adopt a panda. You can fund and digitally “adopt” a panda on the internet, which will help to ensure their survival. The expense of caring for a panda in captivity can be high, but you are giving these animals a chance to live longer, more serene lives.
Interesting Facts About Pandas
1.They eat for 14 hours straight
Depending on whatever part of the bamboo they eat, this equates to up to 83 pounds of bamboo consumed per day.
2.Their scientific name has a strange connotation
Ailuropoda melanoleuca is the scientific name for the panda, which means black and white cat chow!
3.Newborn pandas are blind
Around the age of six weeks, they begin to see. They rely on spatial memory more than visual memory throughout their lives.
4. A pseudo-thumb and five fingers
Pandas eat with their opposable thumbs, which are enlarged wrist bones.
5. The panda in captivity is the oldest in the world
From March 1978 until October 2016, Jia Jia, a large female panda in Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, lived to reach 38 years old.
