Page 126 - It Can't Be True! Animals! - Unbelievable Facts About Amazing Animals (DK)

Pandas in

the wild

Native to the remote mountain forests of southwest
China, giant pandas were declared an endangered
species in the 1970s. At this time, there were just over
1,000 pandas left in the wild – a direct result of mass
deforestation that had devastated their lush-green home.
Once one of the rarest animals on Earth, pandas
reach 125 kg (275 lb) in weight and 1.5 m (5 ft) in
length. Although they are skilled climbers and
swimmers, they spend nearly all day eating bamboo –
a tough, thick grass that makes up most of their diet.

Since 1999, 42 cubs have also been

raised in zoos in the USA, Thailand,

Spain, Mexico, Austria, and Japan.

In 1981, the Chinese government started working
with the World Wide Fund for Nature to help boost the
population of panda bears. This included preserving
forests, creating vast panda reserves, and teaching
communities to harvest bamboo without
depleting bamboo supplies. These
conservation projects proved
successful, and by 2014 there
were 1,864 wild pandas.
There is still a long way
to go, but ongoing efforts
are in place to keep these
beautiful creatures alive.
C O N S E R VAT I O N

Safe space
This healthy young panda,
and others like it, are protected in
BACK · FROM · THE · BRINK
China’s Wolong Nature Reserve.

126-127_310219_Panda.indd 126 09/10/2019 15:14