Make a Little Panda-monium!

The giant panda known as the panda bear or simply the panda is a bear species native to China.  Its round, plump body has a bold black and whilte coat. 

The giant panda is a folivore which means it eats leaves.  Bamboo shoots and leaves make up more than 99% of its diet. Occasionally giant pandas in the wild will eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion.  In captivity, pandas may receive honey, eggs, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.

The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China. As a result of farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.  Forest loss also reduces the pandas’ access to the bamboo they need to survive. 

The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only a few more than 1800 giant pandas in the world.  By December 2014, there were 49 giant pandas living in captivity outside of China in 18 zoos in 13 countries.  Just over 200 pandas live in captivity inside China. The giant panda is considered a ‘vulnerable’ species by animal experts.

The giant panda has often served as China’s national symbol.  The panda was one of the five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics. 

Giant pandas choose bamboo as their staple food because bamboos are widely distributed in the wild, bamboos are easy for them to obtain, and bamboos contain more starch than other woody plants.  Pandas drink fresh water from rivers and streams but they also can get water while eating bamboo shoots because bamboo shoots are more than 60% water. Bamboo has a low nutritional value, so the giant panda has to spend a lot of time eating.  They sleep for 2-3 hours at a time, and then spend 3-4 hours eating.

Because of their low-energy diet they avoid stressful situations.  They prefer shallow slopes and solitary living. Pandas use scent markers to avoid one another.  They don’t roar like other bears.  Instead they bleat like goats or honk, growl and bark to communicate. Pandas are rarely aggressive.  While they do look cute, clumsy, and adorable, they are still wild animals.  Attacks on humans are rare, but it doesn’t mean they don’t happen. Most attacks are a result of irritation rather than aggression. 

Giant pandas are curious and playful, especially when they are young.  In zoos, they like to play with enrichment items such as puzzles made of bamboo with food inside. Giant pandas are good swimmers and excellent tree climbers.  At 5 months old, cubs learn how to climb.  They sometimes practise by climbing on their mum.

A panda’s paw has six digits.  There are five fingers and an enlarged wrist bone which acts like a thumb holding bamboo while eating.  

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Panda.

• Be Lovable

• Care for Your Habitat

• Chew Your Food Well

• Live Large

• Take it Slow

• Cherish Wild Places

• Make a Little Panda-monium!

These are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Be Lovable - Be inspiring and deserving of affection.  Friendly people are approachable. 

• Care for Your Habitat - Take care of the world around you.

• Chew Your Food Well - When you chew your food you break it down into smaller pieces which are easier to digest.  When you ‘chew’ your problems and difficulties you break them down into smaller steps which are easier to overcome.  

• Live Large - To live large means to live like a very wealthy and successful person.

• Take it Slow - Take it slowly.  Sounds like the tortoise and the hare.

• Cherish Wild Places - Care for and enjoy being outdoors in nature. 

• Make a Little Panda-monium! - Pandemonium means wild and noisy disorder or confusion. 

Have a great day.  Be lovable and cherish wild places.

# living life abundantly   # published author  # travelling tuesdays