Panda Bears
Pandas are a rare breed of the bear family, which is found in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces of Peoples Republic of China. There is an estimated 2,500 mature Pandas that lives in the wilderness. Their habitat is cut to half than 15 years ago. Unless the government would do something to increase their area of habitat, Pandas are in serious trouble for extinction. They have black and white patches on the body that makes them visibly beautiful. A mature Panda weighs between 200-300 pounds. Pandas love cold and damp mountain forests where bamboo thrives. It is because bamboo is their favorite food. The average life span of a Panda is unknown, but they usually live up to 20 years in captivity.  Pandas are the world’s most adored endangered animals, and have been legally protected. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed Giant Panda as an endangered animal while World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has also categorized the Giant Pandas as endangered animals.

Why Panda are considered as endangered
The decreasing numbers of endangered Panda have alarmed the concerned animal protector groups.  Habitat loss is the major cause for the endangerment of Pandas. The invasion of human beings to the home of the animals for their personal gain and the need for tract of farming land has led to large-scale deforestation. This human activity has destroyed the natural habitat of endangered animals and made them homeless. Another contributory factor for the decline of Panda is their low reproductive cycle. This makes it difficult for female Panda to reproduce more babies.  Female Pandas have a reproductive cycle of five days only in a year and the gestation period ranges from 90 to 180 days. They generally litter a single baby. If twins are born, usually, only one cub survives because the mother Panda cannot produce enough milk to raise two cubs.
What to do with endangered Panda

In view of considering Panda as an endangered animal, the IUCN and WWF had taken the social responsibility to protect the animal and preserve its habitat. Poaching is another reason, which made Pandas an endangered animal. They are poached for their skin, which has a great value in the international market. The soft skin of Pandas is used for making bags, and is sold for thousands of dollars. Although poaching is restricted and illegal, it continues to exist because there is money in Panda’s skin.

Normally, it is the conservation status of a species that gives an indication whether endangered specie is included in the endangered animals’ list or are no longer living. Likewise, in assessing the conservation status of specie there are many factors that must be accounted, factors such as the overall increase or decrease in the population, breeding success rates, known threats, and many others. On the other hand, only few species which is at risk of extinction make it to the endangered animals’ list and obtain legal protection like the Pandas. In some instances, species may become extinct, or potentially become extinct, without having identified or made known.

endangered animals listEndangerment is a broad issue, although some measures are being undertaken to prevent destruction of animal life, it cannot be denied that the universal problem cannot be solved until human beings will become responsible and protect the natural habitat where endangered species live. There are several reasons why a particular specie may become endangered. We will discuss some of the

reasons of endangerment:
1. Habitat Destruction. This refers to abnormal or intentional changes to the natural habitat of animal forms. Usually, the destruction is man-made which would result to loss of soil fertility, pollution, and changes in global climate brought about by the release of greenhouse gases;

2. Introduction of Exotic Species. This may be considered as invasion of the new specie into a specific geographic area, causing imbalance to the environment where native species dwell. Exotic species are intruders which disrupt the normal flow of life and may produce unintended yet harmful consequences. Sometimes exotic specie will prey on the native specie or will cause the native specie to vacate their home and move to a place where it is not appropriate for their living;

3. Overexploitation. A species is overexploited or severely endangered or become extinct due to the number of times they are being used. For example, the unrestricted whaling, and the whaling industry brought the species of whales to reduce extinction. When several whale species were nearly extinct, a number of nations (including the United States) agreed to abide by an international moratorium on whaling. Due to this moratorium, some whale species, such as the grey whale, have made remarkable comebacks, while others remain threatened or endangered;

4. Other Factors. Factors such as disease, pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices, threaten various plants and animal species as well.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.