Today, only around 1,600 giant pandas survive on Earth. There are several reasons why pandas are endangered:
Low reproductive rate%u2014 Pandas like to be by themselves most of the year, and they have a very short breeding season when a male will look for a female to mate with. Females give birth to one or two cubs, which are very dependent on their mothers during the first few years of life. In the wild, mother pandas will care for only one of the young. In panda facilities in China, keepers help to hand raise any twin cubs. One baby is left with the mother and the keepers switch the twins every few days so each one gets care and milk directly from the mother.
Bamboo shortages%u2014 When bamboo plants reach maturity, they flower and produce seeds, and then the mature plant dies. The seeds grow slowly into plants large enough for pandas to eat. Giant pandas can eat 25 different types of bamboo, but they usually eat only the 4 or 5 kinds that grow in their home range. The unusual thing about bamboo is that all of the plants of one species growing in an area will bloom and die at the same time. When those plants die, pandas move to another area. But now, with humans taking up much of the panda%u2019s habitats, pandas are often unable to move to another area and may face starvation.
Habitat destruction%u2014 China has more than one billion people. As people build more cities and farms and use more natural resources, giant pandas lose their homes.
Hunting%u2014 When hunters set snares for other animals, like musk deer, the traps often kill pandas instead.
Working together with Chinese panda experts may help increase the number of giant pandas and ensure the future survival of the giant panda population. A giant panda milk formula created by the Zoo's nutritionist and a hand-rearing technique developed by the Chinese called "twin swapping" have transformed the survival rate of nursery-reared panda cubs in China from zero percent to 95 percent. The giant panda breeding rate at the Wolong Breeding Center in China increased dramatically following multiyear collaborations with San Diego Zoo Conservation Research.
