Why is the Panda Bear one of the endangered animals?

The Panda Bear is one of the endangered animals because there are so few of them.

There are about 250 Giant Pandas in captivity - mostly in China.

Estimates vary of Giant Pandas in the wild but the number is just above about 1000. Most are in Sichuan.

The numbers are getting better but slowly. The Giant Panda Bear is still regarded as an endangered species.

Why is the Giant Panda Bear an endangered species?

Bamboo trees flower just before they die which maybe between 40 and 80 years depending on the type. The Panda Bears need to go elsewhere to eat when the bamboo flowers. This is not easy to do because people have built roads and towns in the way.

So the endangered Panda Bears die.

Panda Bears love eating bamboo.

But bamboo is also not the healthiest of foods. It consists mainly of sugar.

This makes the Panda Bears fat (and therefore cuddly!)and lazy.

Thus they are not often in the mood for love and reproduction!

A Panda may only engage in reproduction once every 1 to 2 years. The male Panda birth rate is much higher than the female birth rate - so there are many more males than females - another inhibitor in propagation.

The female Panda Bear is quite capable of multiple births. This happens often. However they only take care of one - maybe the strongest. The others are abandoned - so only one survives.

So, the Giant Panda Bears are not great reproducers anyway.

Throw in the effect of mankind clearing bamboo and encroaching on their forests, pollution, highways and so on, it is not surprising numbers are small.

How the Giant Panda Bears are being helped

Breeding centers, such as the one at Chengdu, research and help Pandas to breed.

Scientists are developing more nutritious food for the Pandas.

Reserves or sanctuaries have been set aside for Panda Bears.

Since 1963, the Chinese Government has set aside 13 reserves in the isolated mountain ranges of Sichuan, Shanxi and Ganshu provinces of Western China. The bamboo flourishes in these areas.

The Panda Bears are one of the endangered animals that is being actively managed for its survival.