The Red Panda

The Other Pandas

By: Ramin Nazeri

BIO227Fall2015

I thought pandas were black and white!

Red Pandas, although often called "Lesser Pandas" deserve no less attention. Even though they share their name with the more famous giant panda, they actually are not closely related at all. The red panda falls under the family Ailuridae which is not the same as, but is similar to the weasel, skunk and raccoon. Red pandas are mostly active from dusk till dawn, and eat mainly bamboo. It is an omnivorous animal, and it eats eggs, insects, and small birds as well. Red pandas are about the size of a large house cat, so you can already image how funny it looks like with its swaying strides due to its shorter front legs.They can reproduce at around 18 months, usually to a litter of 1-4 deaf and blind cubs that the mother recognizes by scent. Mothers protect and nurture their cubs for about a year, when they are almost full adults and can begin to hunt on their own. The male red pandas do not really help out with the young.






Well they sound great! Where can I find a Red Panda?


These pandas are endemic to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, where it is protected under national laws that definitely need some revision. They are most commonly found in specific refugee animals for a variety of species. Their habitat range is mostly considered to be disjunct, rather than continuous. Unfortunately, the red panda has become locally extinct in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Gansu, and Shaanxi. There have been a few accounts of red panda sightings across Southwest Tibet and nearby areas, but they have not been confirmed. Most likely, a red panda will reside in a mountainous old forest environment like conifer or deciduous forests that have underlying bamboo, most often in moderate climates within these areas.

When and how did they become a listed endangered species?

With fewer than 10,000 animals left, red pandas have been under threat for a long time. Since 1965, red panda numbers have been steadily declining up to a 40% loss in total population. In combination with their declining numbers to to many different factors, their status as a k-selected species is no help to bring their numbers back. In addition, they have a high death rate in the wild, so their decline is natural as well as man made. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in the 1970s was the first legislature for protection of red pandas.




How could an animal this cute even become endangered?



Red Pandas seem like they would be able to live contently with their sedentary lifestyle, but they have been under attack dating back to the 13th century in China. Unfortunately, there is more than one factor that is causing declines in red panda populations. Habitat destruction and fragmentation are caused by commercial and agricultural deforestation. Red pandas are also sometimes hunted for their gorgeous pelts, which are worn for good luck by newly-weds in China due to old traditions. They are also held at mercy of domestic livestock, whose trampling of bamboo destroys the red panda's main food source. Their cute looks are no help in this situation, as red pandas are often taken from their habitats and sold as pets on the black market where they can fetch exorbitant prices. Their dangerously low populations in certain areas are detrimental to their recovery, as it leaves their species with low genetic diversity and the peril of inbreeding.





But I don't want them to go extinct! 

Recovery Plan Good! There are many people who think the same way as you. Red pandas need human intervention to bring their populations back up to stable numbers. In order for the red panda to come back from its endangered position, it needs as much help as it can get. Although it is protected under national laws in many of the regions that it is found, it needs to be regulated in a more organized fashion. The red panda's habitat needs to be treated with the importance that it deserves. The refugee areas and zoos that many red pandas live in are only temporary treatment areas for the mammals. Red pandas need specified zones in the wild that will be considered habitat sanctuaries. They cannot continue to live in fragmented zones where populations will never grow. The pandas in the refugees and zoos need to be consolidated into certain areas so that their populations can naturally grow and flourish in the wild. In fact, at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, there has been a  successfully carried out ex-situ conservation program for red pandas.Two red pandas were bred  in captivity and released into the wild. One of the radio-collared pandas released into the Singhalila National Park mated in the wild and gave birth to offspring of her own. The animals need to be together in the wild, and then protected against their man-made threats. Population decline has been carried out for a long time, so biologists need to prepare for long-term conservation of the red pandas.



What if I'm not a biologist?

As with all endangered animals, you can write a letter to a senator, agency or government body to act for these animals. You can spread awareness about the red panda's battle with extinction with friends and family, and even pledge to never buy a pelt or be an accessory to a pelt being purchased. You can even help promote the stance of the US Humane Society against wearing fur. Together, we can stop the destruction of red pandas, and take their species off of endangered species lists.

Works Cited

"Conservation of Red Pandas." World Wildlife Fund. World Wide Fund For Nature, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

Devin. "Endangered Species: The Red Panda." Ian Somerhalder Foundation. Ian Somerhalder Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



"Lesser Panda." CITIES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



"Red Panda Ailurus Fulgens." National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



Pictures

https://www.eduplace.com/kids/mw/wr/1/wr1_02_6_7.html
http://illuzone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red-Panda-7.jpg
http://www.westheimphoto.com/lightbox/gallery/StockPhotosAsiaMelLonghurst/CHNml355.jpg
https://www.bhmpics.com/walls/red_panda_eating_bamboo-normal.jpg

http://seveninchesofyourtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Yawning-Red-Panda.jpg










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