GIANT PANDA
Not long ago, the future for the giant panda looked grim. Little was known about the ecology and biology of this bamboo-eating bear, and its numbers had plummeted. Fortunately, changes over the last 20 years have benefited the giant panda. The Chinese government has banned logging and started reforestation projects in key habitat while also increasing the number of wildlife reserves from 10 to 65. Scientists in China and abroad have collaborated to increase our knowledge of giant pandas, a boon to captive and wild management. Work by our scientists has advanced pregnancy diagnosis: from hoping and waiting for a cub to using ultrasound to visualize the fetus at about 20 days before birth; then to using thermal imaging to reveal pregnancy about 50 to 60 days before birth; to now measuring protein levels in the bear’s urine to determine conception within 30 days of breeding. The captive population of pandas has reached the milestone of 300 bears, the minimum necessary to sustain 97 percent genetic diversity for the next 100 years. With wild populations stabilizing and even increasing, the giant panda may now be a candidate for downlisting from endangered to threatened status.
Visiting the Zoo and the Safari Park and learning about these and other amazing species help our conservation efforts. If you want to do more, please visit us online at endextinction.org and consider becoming a Hero for Wildlife. Your participation can make a big difference for these and the many other species we work to save from extinction! n
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