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=**Andrew's page - Giant Panda **= = =


 * Scientific Name:** //Ailuropoda melanoleuca//
 * Population:**Less than 2,500 mature in the wild (WWF, 2011)

This bamboo eating bear is among one of the world's most threatened animals. There have been great movements behind the scene to conserve the giant pandas. It is currently on the WWF's and other NGOs list of endangered species due to the ever-present threat of poaching and habitat loss in the SouthWest China region, The Chinese government has created over __50 panda reserves__ and is currently protecting more than __2.5 million acres of land__.

The panda's diet is strictly **vegetarian** with its favourite meal being **bamboo**. However, it will eat meat when there is only meat or eggs available. It is a terrestrial animal and they are generally quite solitary, they do not hibernate and primarily rely on spatial memory rather than visual memory.

When the world’s scientists and conservationists met in 1961 to plan to raise funds to support conservation projects, they decided to establish the **World Wildlife Fund (WWF).** At the time Chi Chi was the only giant panda in the Western world. She was a rare animal, like her wild panda cousins in China, and she managed to win the hearts of the people who visited the London Zoo.

__**Fun Fact**__: Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide South Australia is home to Australia's only Giant //Pandas//, Wang Wang and Funi.

This is a video of a panda documentary: media type="youtube" key="z4n96-_qkLQ" height="390" width="480"

Click here to read on what you can do to help save pandas: [|Save The Pandas]

This is what happens when a panda sneezes
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