Giant Panda

Adults of this solitary species have well-defined home ranges and rarely meet, except in the mating season that runs from March to May (5). During this time, pandas signal their presence by marking trees and banks with scent secreted from glands located beneath the tail (6). They will also strip bark and occasionally males will dust bathe; dust particles become covered with the pandas' scent and then waft into the air (6). Males also call during this time, and these can be heard echoing through the mountains (7). Females give birth to a single cub that is born in an extremely immature stage of development; weighing only a tiny fraction (0.001%) of their mother's weight (5). The female cares for her cub in a den located in the base of a hollow tree or in a cave for the first few months of its life (4) (8). Young pandas remain dependent on their mother for a year, by which time they are weaned, but usually remain with their mothers until they are two years of age and sometimes longer (4) (8). During this time, females may leave their cubs to forage for days at a time and in the past these supposedly 'abandoned' cubs were taken into captivity (4). Pandas are unusual amongst the larger mammals for the extreme specialisation of their diet, which depends almost entirely on bamboo. Bamboo is a relatively abundant food source but has poor nutritional value; adults must spend around 14 hours a day feeding (4), and need to consume between 10 and 20 kg over 24 hours (8). They therefore alternate periods of feeding and resting throughout the day and night (7). Bamboo is evergreen and in winter pandas concentrate on leaves and stems, descending to lower altitudes in search of new shoots in spring (6). Despite their specialisation on bamboo, pandas will readily scavenge on meat should they come across it (7).

The giant panda is protected by China's Wildlife Protection Law and offenders convicted of poaching or smuggling skins can face life imprisonment (4). This species is also listed on Appendix I of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which effectively bans international trade (1). 60% of the giant panda's range lies within protected reserves (4), and this habitat protection is vital for the survival of the species in the wild. With more than 160 pandas currently in zoos around the world, captive breeding programmes are also of critical importance, both as insurance against the species going extinct in the wild, and to create a source for reintroduction into the wild when that becomes feasible (8). Although the captive population is still not yet self-sustaining (4), the success of captive breeding has markedly increased in recent years, thanks to significant advances in managing the health of captive pandas and a greater understanding of the species' reproductive biology (8). With Chinese colleagues, the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park and other North American zoos that exhibit giant pandas are conducting important work both in zoos and in the field to address the conservation needs of the giant panda. An important component of this is helping to improve conservation in China. National Zoo scientists are training Chinese professionals in conservation technologies, such as monitoring and the use of GIS (Geographical Information Systems), artificial insemination, genome resource banking, endocrine monitoring to assess health and reproduction, and genetic management of China's captive population. They are also mapping panda habitat and conducting mammal surveys in panda reserves, and have made major strides in understanding the reproductive biology of pandas. Their perfecting of artificial insemination techniques coupled with monitoring hormonal changes to predict peak fertility contributed to the increased breeding success of captive pandas noted above. These also resulted in the first giant panda born at the National Zoo in 2005 (8). Despite remaining in grave danger of extinction, the world's rarest bear is one of the universally recognised symbols of conservation. The panda has been a symbol of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) since the 1960s, an organisation that has also been working closely with the Chinese people over the decades to discover valuable information about this little-known bear, and to help conserve such a well-loved Chinese species for future generations (4).

The giant panda is universally admired for its appealing markings and seemingly gentle demeanour. This large mammal is now recognised as being a member of the bear family and is a robust animal with heavy shoulders and a distinctive black and white coat (4). The molars and premolar teeth are wider and flatter than those of other bears, and the jaw muscles are large, allowing the panda to grind bamboo (2). The giant panda is well known for its 'thumb', which is actually a modified wrist bone that enables the panda to dextrously grasp bamboo stalks (2).

Formerly these pandas were found in hilly ravines at lower elevations, but populations have been forced into the mountains and they can now be found in temperate montane forest at 1,200 to 3,400 metres, where there is an abundance of bamboo (4).

The historic range of the panda encompassed much of eastern and southern China, reaching into northern Vietnam and Myanmar (4). Today, the range is restricted to 6 separate mountain ranges in western China, on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, in the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan (4).

Classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1), and listed on Appendix I of CITES (3).

Habitat loss is the greatest cause of the decline of the giant panda. Large areas of China's natural forest have been cleared for agriculture, timber and firewood to meet the needs of the large and growing human population (4). Bamboo undergoes periodic dieback every 40 - 60 years and swathes of a species will disappear. Previously, pandas would migrate to find alternative bamboo sources; today however, only fragments of forest remain and this is no longer possible, causing populations to be even more vulnerable (7). Despite strong protection measures, pandas are still occassionally killed for their pelts and are accidentally captured in traps.