Pandas are in danger!

Big, fluffy bears. They love bamboo. They are peaceful and you want to cuddle them. We all know them. We all know pandas. They're cute to look at and to take pictures of. But what's the reality? Pandas are on the IUCN Red List. It is a list of endangered species around the world. As of the last census in 2014; about 1.864 giant pandas are currently living in the wild. Since the 1970's the numbers have improved, yes, but are still too low. Here's what's happening to pandas on our planet: The most urgent issue these animals face is habitat loss. Pandas exclusively eat bamboo. That's a fact. Another fact is, that a lot of bamboo forests which are essential to the surviving of the giant panda bear are being destroyed and cut down. Once pandas roamed forests not only in China, but Laos, Vietnam and Thailand too. Today, the wild pandas can only live in China. Plus, in the event of a forest being destroyed, a new home is not so easy to find since the woods are seperated nowadays, by human cities and towns. Without food, pandas in the wild without their forest, will ultimately die of starvation. And if you think that the pandas could just adjust, you're wrong. They can't, simply because their digestive system isn't able to digest anything but bamboo. The only  environment in which a panda can thrive, is their natural habitat. Another problem is certainly producing offspring. The panda bear is especially picky about its mates and even if it's the right match, pandas very often only have one viable cub at a time. And yes, even though we live in 2019 and things such as this shouldn't happen anymore, poaching is still a huge deal and panda bear skin and pelts have great value on the black market. The giant panda bear is a beautiful, wild, peaceful animal but if we're not careful it might disappear forever. Maybe we should think about that the next time we take a picture of a panda in the zoo.