Jenny Rizzo

Giant Pandas!

What do you know about panda bears?

Giant Panda

Red tailed panda (Red panda)

Anatomy of a panda

Anatomy of a panda

Anatomy of a panda

Anatomy of a panda

Pandas can be found in any of the 62 nature reserves set up for them in the mountains of the Sichuan province of south west China

Snows frequentlyAltitudes ranging from 5000-13,000 feet

This steep terrain is a defense advantage for pandas

Habitat

Habitat

Shoots and leaves of 26 different species of bamboo

Because pandas lack the special stomach of other large grass eating animals, they have to eat MUCH more.Pandas feed for approximatley 14 hours a day!

Pandas bodies are better suited to a carnivorous dietThey eat bamboo rats in the wild if they can catch

one.In captivity pandas are given various other

foods such as panda cakes: a nutritional mixture of grain and egg

What do pandas eat?

Diet

Diet

Diet

Diet

Mating season is April through MayA female panda can only become pregnant 72

hours out of the year!A female panda signals reproductive

readiness by rubbing her butt against a tree, secreting a musky scent

A panda can be pregnant from anywhere between 90 to 160 days until she gives birth in a thicket, cave, or tree hollow

Breeding

When in the wild, if twins are born, the smaller of the two is left to die

In captivity both are raised, they are just switched out so the mother thinks she has just one baby

Baby pandas stay with their mothers until they are about 2 years old

Pandas reach sexual maturity at 5 to 7 yearsPandas typically live to be 25-30 years old.

Breeding

Pandas typically do not enjoy breedingIn captivity pandas are often shown videos of

other pandas mating in order to speed along the process

Artificial insemination has proven to be the most successful way to breed pandas in captivityZoos have begun to freeze sperm and create

sperm banks

Breeding

Cubs are no longer than a stick of butter when bornThey have a long tail that shrinks as they grow

Born completely hairlessCannot open eyes for approximately 4 to 5 weeksBecause baby pandas are so small their mothers

some times roll over on them causing their deathWhen a mother panda is giving birth she must catch

her baby, cupping it in her feet. If she fails to do so sometimes the baby hits a tree and

diesOtherwise, mother pandas are incredibly protective

of their cubs!

Cub survival

Cub Survival

There are pandas in the Smithsonian National (Washington D.C.), Atlanta, Memphis, and San Diego zoos.

Bai Yun of the San Diego zoo just gave birth to a cub this past Autumn!

$50 thousand a year to rent 1 panda to be put in a zoo breeding program.

Pandas must be rented in pairsEach panda born outside of China may live in the

other country for up to four years, and then will most likely be transported back to a CRCGP in China

Pandas in the states!

There are only 1,600 pandas in the wild!It is difficult for pandas to reproduce.Pandas suffered from being poached in

decades pastThis does not happen anymore

Their habitat is being destroyed!

Why are pandas endangered?

They are a marvel of the natural world having lived in the bamboo forests of China for several million years, they are often referred to as living fossils.

Because they have lived in the same habitat for so many years they have developed unique adaptations and are highly specialized animals.

We must preserve pandas because they are a living piece of the Earth’s past.There is no limit to what we can learn from

such an ancient species!

Why should we help pandas?

The area of the Tibetan Plateau that pandas live in contains more plant an animal species than any other temperate region in the world. If we conserve this land for pandas, we are also conserving many other species!

Conservation

Crescent moon bears

Takin Bull

Darjeeling Woodpecker

Dhole

Golden Monkey

Tragopan

Do not use bamboo products!

How can you help?

Donate to the World Wildlife Fund or Pennies 4 Pandas!

Set up money collections, bake sales, or movie screening of panda movies to donate to their cause as well as raise awareness!

Celebrate Panda Awareness WeekJuly 1-7

How can you help?

Thanks!