Topic: Pandas and extinction

[Endless~Knot]

Climate brings giant pandas on brink of extinction
Wednesday, November 05 2008 12:36 (IST)

Washington, Nov 5: Researchers at York University have determined that climate change may be about to affect the lives of rare species such as the giant panda, because of fears that global warming is likely to result in substantial re-distribution of plants and animals. According to a report in Environmental News Network (ENN), the University of York and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, with Sichuan University and the Kunming Institute of Botany in China, carried out the research.

The researchers focused on the effect of climate change on the bamboo, which is the giant panda's principal food. Researchers discovered that while some types of bamboo reduced in range due to global warming, others actually increased.

The findings will provide important information to help to safeguard the endangered animal's future.

There is particular concern for animals already struggling, such as the giant panda, which is hanging on in a small area of China.

According to Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, Professor Steve Blackmore, "Pandas spend 14 hours a day eating, and bamboo forms 99 per cent of their diet, so they are completely reliant on the right bamboo species being present in order to survive."

[Endless~Knot]

This is from wiki:

The Giant Panda is a conservation reliant endangered species. According to the latest report,[4] China has 239 Giant Pandas in captivity and another 27 living outside the country. It also estimated that around 1,590 pandas are currently living in the wild.[4] However, a 2006 study, via DNA analysis, estimated that there might be as many as 2,000 to 3,000 Giant Pandas in the wild.[5] Though reports show that the numbers of wild pandas are on the rise,[6][7] the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes there is not enough certainty to remove the Giant Panda from the endangered animal list.[8]

While the dragon has historically served as China's national emblem, in recent decades the Giant Panda has also served as an emblem for the country. Its image appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and platinum coins. Though the Giant Panda is often assumed to be docile, it has been known to attack humans, presumably out of irritation rather than predatory behavior