SAVING BLOODTHIRSTY PANDAS
Quick as you can: what are pandas, herbivores or carnivores? And before you get too hasty in your reply, check out the teeth in the photo.
Although they primarily eat bamboo, they are originally meateaters.
Many years ago, pandas were the spoilt teenagers of the animal world. Their mothers would give them a hard time, telling them to run and catch a rabbit if they wanted something for dinner, and in typical adolescent fashion they replied, "Yeah, Mom, whatever." In the absence of microwave pizzas, (and microwaves for that matter), the pandas grabbed the nearest thing that came to hand - bamboo. Over the years they developed huge, fat butts, so now they couldn't chase after a rabbit even if they wanted to.
The problem is, pandas still retain a carnivore's digestive system, which is totally inadequate to digest fibrous, vegetable matter. They have to eat around 30 pounds of bamboo a day, since their intestines can only absorb about 20% of the food. The remaining 24 pounds must make hiking in panda country an icky pastime.
But seriously, this brings us to one of the principal reasons why pandas are in peril of extinction: land. Their home territory usually ranges from 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 square miles and presumably that would be based on how much food is available. The Adelaide Zoo in South Australia has two Giant Pandas, and to meet their dietary requirements the zoo has a 35 acre bamboo plantation.
Breeding programs are a waste of time and money if they do not have the land - and consequent food source - to support them in the wild. Hoping that pandas will go back to their carnivorous roots and develop a taste for Macdonalds is not the answer. Only by protecting their habitat can we save them.
For a fun kids' book about the importance of planting trees, check out The Last Tree. It shows how many creatures are dependent on trees for food, a home or shelter.
I have now converted it into a video, so follow the link to it on Youtube: The Last Tree on Youtube
También en español: El Último Árbol en Youtube
Although they primarily eat bamboo, they are originally meateaters.
Many years ago, pandas were the spoilt teenagers of the animal world. Their mothers would give them a hard time, telling them to run and catch a rabbit if they wanted something for dinner, and in typical adolescent fashion they replied, "Yeah, Mom, whatever." In the absence of microwave pizzas, (and microwaves for that matter), the pandas grabbed the nearest thing that came to hand - bamboo. Over the years they developed huge, fat butts, so now they couldn't chase after a rabbit even if they wanted to.
The problem is, pandas still retain a carnivore's digestive system, which is totally inadequate to digest fibrous, vegetable matter. They have to eat around 30 pounds of bamboo a day, since their intestines can only absorb about 20% of the food. The remaining 24 pounds must make hiking in panda country an icky pastime.
But seriously, this brings us to one of the principal reasons why pandas are in peril of extinction: land. Their home territory usually ranges from 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 square miles and presumably that would be based on how much food is available. The Adelaide Zoo in South Australia has two Giant Pandas, and to meet their dietary requirements the zoo has a 35 acre bamboo plantation.
Breeding programs are a waste of time and money if they do not have the land - and consequent food source - to support them in the wild. Hoping that pandas will go back to their carnivorous roots and develop a taste for Macdonalds is not the answer. Only by protecting their habitat can we save them.
For a fun kids' book about the importance of planting trees, check out The Last Tree. It shows how many creatures are dependent on trees for food, a home or shelter.
I have now converted it into a video, so follow the link to it on Youtube: The Last Tree on Youtube
También en español: El Último Árbol en Youtube
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