We are going to be hearing a lot about the Giant Panda this summer. The first Giant Panda we will be hearing about is the character “Po,” in the blockbuster movie “Kung Fu Panda.” The second venue in which we will see a giant Panda is as one of the official mascots of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

The Giant Pandas are some of the most beloved creatures in the world and considered to be a national treasure in China. But over the last decade the world has come perilously close to losing these incredible creatures in the wild. There are only about 1,500 Giant Pandas left in the mountains of China. Even after much conservation the Giant Panda is still a highly threatened and endangered animal.

The Giant Panda lives in the highest mountains of China and bamboo is its primary food source. The very name “panda” is Nepali and means “bamboo eater.” Giant Pandas can devour 40-80 pounds of bamboo in a single day. The Giant Panda is able to snap off a stalk of bamboo with its teeth and peel the hard outer piece and then eat the very tender stem inside. A Giant Panda can get to the tender stem of a tough bamboo stalk in about a minute and then it continues to eat hundreds of stems in the same way.

For many years, the Giant Panda lived in the highest mountains of China. Its habitat was faraway from humans and peaceful. But with the explosion of China’s human population came the need for more roads, towns and cities. Eventually humans began moving into the habitat of the Giant Panda. The new Chinese residents farmed the land and cultivated their crops. They cut down the bamboo acres and planted corn and other crops to sell. They plowed the naturally growing bamboo to build more human necessities. As a result, the food source of the Giant Panda was severely limited. But what compounded the problem was a bamboo “die-out” that occurred during the same time.

Bamboo is really just an unusual kind of grass. It can range in height from 10 to 100 feet.

So bamboo is not only a main food source for Giant Pandas, but a form of shelter for them as well. There are several species of bamboo such as umbrella bamboo, arrow bamboo and fountain bamboo. Every 40 years the bamboo stops producing and dies off. It takes a few years for the bamboo to reestablish itself again. Unfortunately some Giant Pandas died of starvation during this time. Although the Chinese government did attempt to make food drops to the Giant Pandas in the wild and they also offered rewards to humans for saving these beautiful beasts.

Scientists outside of China established A Panda Resource Center that was specifically designed to save the panda. The scientists worked with zoos all over the world to try to increase the panda population. Several zoos have had success in breeding pandas and producing cubs. Unfortunately one panda research center was heavily damaged in the recent earthquake in China.

The Giant Panda lives a relatively solitary life except when it is time for mating. Scientists have recently discovered that Giant Pandas use loud vocals to attract a mate. The usually very subdued Giant Pandas roar, yelp and bleat to find a companion during mating season in the mountains of China. The mating season is from March until May.

Adult Giant Pandas weigh between 150 and 275 pounds. But at birth their size is a very different story. After a gestation period of 3-5 months, the cubs are born completely helpless and totally blind. Two cubs may be born at once, but only one cub will survive this period in the wild. Giant Pandas are smaller than the size of an adult human hand at birth and they are hairless. The Giant Panda mother is very attentive and does not eat or drink for several days after the birth of her cub to care for it constantly. The baby cub opens its eyes by 2 months, moves around actively at three months and is weaned from its mother by 6 months.

The Giant Panda is a magnificent and internationally loved creature. We must do everything we can to guarantee its survival by protecting its habitat, funding scientific research and continuing educational programs in zoos all over the world.

For in protecting and saving this precious animal we are ensuring not only the future of all wildlife, but the future of humanity.