Save the pandas! Yes, that's what this blog is about. In 2004 there was only around 1,600 left! That's like the amount of people in a small hick town. Their habitat has been cut down to around 14,000 square feet. And this is one big block of land, no. It's a little spot here and a little spot there that has somehow remained unscathed by the greedy clearing of land for agriculture. This is why there are so few pandas. Like almost every other endangered species it is humans that are killing them off by taking their land away from them. If they have nowhere to live how can they survive? And the fact that the land they do have is highly fragmented is a huge problem as well. They can't travel to find new sources of bamboo when their little patch become deleted. Also, incest! They can't find new pandas, new blood which results in constant inbreeding. Inbreeding causes birth defects and makes them more likely to contract diseases.
What can we do though? China is trying to save the pandas. It's not enough yet but at least they're working on it. Their programs cost about $1 billion dollars every year. And they are cracking down on poaching. Long term prison sentences or sometimes even death is what panda poachers can expect if they're caught by the law. More help is needed though. You can help by donating as little as $15 to the World Wildlife Fund. I know I would if I had money that I didn't need to spend on my daughter.
That's all for today! Coming up next:
Slow and Silly Sloths
Shameless Advertising:
For more information on conservation check out this book:
Giant Pandas: Biology and Conservation
. You can also support conservation by buying this T-shirt:
World Wildlife Fund WWF Landscape Panda T-Shirt
Or if you just want to show off your panda love, consider this
Clearly Charming Gold & European Crystal Panda Pendant Necklace
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