My Spirit Animal… the Panda

So this week I will be talking about my spirit animal… the Panda! I absolutely love pandas; I mean everyone knows about pandas; they are the large, peaceful creatures with a distinctive black and white coat that is adored by everyone around the world. In China; however, pandas have much significance and are considered a national treasure.

There are only about 1,864 pandas in the wild and the panda is the rarest member of the bear family and live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China. Pandas must eat from 26 to 84 pounds of bamboo a day.

A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter and about 1/900th the size of its mother, but can grow to up to 330 pounds as an adult. Pandas are excellent tree climbers despite their fuzzy (bulky) size.

Why do pandas matter? (Other than because they are the cutest animals alive?!?)

Well… pandas play an important role in the bamboo forests where they roam and spread seeds that facilitate growth of vegetation. In the Yangtze Basin, where pandas live, the forests are home to a large array of wildlife such as dwarf blue sheep, multicolored pheasant and other endangered species, including the golden monkey and crested ibis.

So yes, pandas matter, but why are they endangered? Well… the China’s Yangtze Basin region, which holds the [anda’s primary habitat, is the geographic and economic heart of this booming country. Roads and railroads are being built throughout the forest, which isolates panda populations and prevents mating.

Forest destruction also reduces pandas’ access to the bamboo they need to survive. The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves, but only about 61% for the country’s panda population is protected by these reserves.
Further… Hunting remains one of the most ever-present threats to pandas and poaching the animals for their fur as declined due to strict laws and greater public awareness of the panda’s protected status.