Zhou Zhou - The Panda Pledge

Hi guys (again)!

So I was browsing through http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/ and I came across the panda pledge! I've already pledged to lead by example and teach everyone the green lifestyle by reducing, reusing and recycling. You can also pledge to do others :) With each pledge, a bamboo will be planted on the website with your name and what you pledged to do :D Please go and take this pledge! Every pledge counts. (As of now there are 3308 pledges :))

This is one of the few steps to get the community to be involved in the conservation of pandas! What's more, this is Singapore's own initiative :) I hope that there will be more of these kind of campaigns/activities for us to engage in so that we are more aware of what we can do to help the pandas.

I'm sorry for this extremely short post :(

Zhou Zhou - How Singapore Is Involved In the Conservation Of Pandas

Hi guys!

My post will be on how Singapore is involved in the conservation of pandas! Funny how we keep on posting on other countries but forget about our own country hehe.

So anyways, we currently have 2 giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, in the Singapore Zoo, River Safari.  They were adopted by CapitaLand Land limited over a 10-year loan from China and they arrived in Singapore on the 6th September 2012. They can be found at the Giant Panda Forest located at the YangTze river with other species of endangered animals such as the red panda and the golden pheasant.

This is a video of them! ;D

(askdfkslhfslkfs they are so cute!)

The Giant Panda forest is the first of its kind in Asia. It offers a controlled cool climate and humidity of 18 to 22 degrees and 50%-60% respectively in order for the the pandas to live comfortably. The Wildlife Reserves Singapore:
- aims to educate visitors about the plight of these gentle giants
- working with the Ya'a base of China Conservation and Reseach Centre for the Giant panda to breed this endangered animal
- team will embark on behavioural observational studies to determine the activity cycles of male and female pandas in captivity
- take on hormonal studies and dietary-related research

Although this collaboration is quite recent, it is significant as it shows that Singapore is doing her part to save the pandas. As mentioned many many many times before, panda conservation is a global effort. I hope that Singapore and China can have a smooth partnership with each other :)

source: http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/

Lin Wei – What Needs to be Done? (by WWF)

Hello,

So basically I came across this website while doing research. It has quite a bit of information which was not mentioned in most of our previous posts, so I thought that it would be good to share with you guys about this website. My main focus would be ‘What Needs to be Done’, since other topics have already been mentioned and highlighted several times, each time with more detailed information, of course.

So as usual, this is a summary of the article and some of my thoughts after reading this article:

-Habitat Restoration

One of the few factors that lead to the decline in the panda’s population is due to a loss in habitat, hence, much efforts have been put in to restore their habitat, in hopes that this would help the panda’s population to increase, instead of decline. In order to carry this out, and bring the best out of this, an ongoing panda survey has been done to understand their current population and its fragmentation (as mentioned by Zhou Zhou in her previous post). In addition, with the survey being done, they would be able to better understand where would be the best place for the pandas to be located. Lastly, they are also hoping that they would be able to close up this fragmentation, to provide more protection by building new corridors or expanding the panda’s habitat.

In my opinion, this method would be quite useful and efficient as it allows panda to have more protection, preventing them from being attacked by predators. With a habitat restoration, it also means more space being built, meaning that there would possibly be more bamboos for the panda, hence, chances of panda’s death due to malnutrition would be reduced. However, this may not be the most efficient method as the panda’s habitat and people working or living nearby may be affected some way or the other during this period of time and this process is also time consuming. Moreover, there are not many predators, preying on pandas.

-Population recovery and management

With a habitat restoration, more pandas would be linked together, allowing them to reproduce, increasing their population.

-Anti-Poaching

Although much efforts have been put into preventing poaching, however, the pressure of poaching is continuous. Once the efforts of anti-poaching is reduced, poaching activities would continue. Hence, continuous efforts have to be put in.

I feel that anti-poaching is vital in ensuring that panda’s population would not be put into danger of a rapid decline. Imagine how many pandas would there be left if 3 pandas are being poached every day, in half a year about one-third of the panda’s population would be gone.

-Monitoring, Scientific research and Database for Better Decisions

By monitoring, having scientific research and database, when staffs in Sichuan are making decisions, they would be more orientated and effective as they would be more certain and assured.

-Strengthening existing panda reserves and protection areas

In China, nature reserves are not managed according to conservation objectives, resulting in financial shortage. Hence, budgets would be made in order to save money; however, this leads to activities planned to be not in place. Thus, objectives are not met. Therefore, WWF provides guidance in managing of conservations to the Chinese government.

-Training more qualified conservation staff

There has been an increase in projects for panda’s conservation, thus, more staff are needed. They are trained with different types of training in both short and long term. This ensures sustainability.

In my opinion, this is essential as it allows projects to be carried out more successfully as they have a better knowledge of pandas and their needs.

-A new national panda action plan

As the decades pass, more information, opportunities and challenges of pandas are faced, thus, the need for a new plan is necessary to cater to all these needs, allowing the conservation to be successful.

-Participatory Conservation Approach

Many might have complained that we should not be putting in so much efforts in conserving pandas (an example can be seen from Zhou Zhou’s previous post), as it requires a lot of effort and we don’t gain much from it in return, especially in economy wise. However, by allowing local people benefit from this conservation, would encourage more people to help out in this conservation and also raise awareness.

Source:  http://www.wwfchina.org/english/loca.php?loca=17

Apologies for such a long summary + thoughts. 

Zhou Zhou - Fragmentation of Pandas' Habitat

Credits: Journal for Nature Conservation Volume 19, Issue 4

The main causes for the fragmentation of the panda's habitat will be human activities and our transport. Also tourism from the southern part of Jiuzhai county affects the giant pandas' habitat. The construction of the future railway between Chengdu and Gansu by the end of 2014 (Chengdu Government Website 2009) will definitely cause more harm to their habitat. Thus, immediate action has to be taken to adjust the zones of each habitat so as to prevent further fragmentation. 

Cr: Journal for Nature Conservation Volume 19, Issue 4 (Nature reserve group planning for conservation of giant pandas in North Minshan, China)

Zhou Zhou - What WWF (panda) wants to achieve by 2015

Hi guys!

The WWF,China has set some goals for itself to help conserve the pandas: http://en.wwfchina.org/en/what_we_do/species/fs/panda/

The fact that they have goals means that they have the drive to save the giant pandas. I believe that they are able to achieve these goals as they are realistic and they have also been successful in other areas of panda conservation! :) (refer to Lin Wei's post: Don't be so depressed about what you read, read this!)

In order to achieve their goals, everyone must play a part. We cannot only depend on WWF to save the pandas! Although we do not have the resources to build a nature reserve or any of that sort, I'm sure we can help to donate a few dollars/cents if they are in need of any financial help.

Alicia - Panda Abuse :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8jT3vLxnD8
( Sorry if the video quality isn't that good.)

I came across this video where it showed Yongba, a 26 year old panda who was banging on the metal door. She look so tired and have no energy at all, unlike other pandas her age. (1 year for a panda is similar to 3 to 4 years for a human)

Apparently, she retired and settled at Shenzhen Wild Animal Park Zoo. The zoo keepers would only give her milk twice and steamed bread made of corn thrice everyday. No nutrients or whatsoever was added to the milk. According to a panda nanny, old pandas should not drink milk as it is bad for their bodies. Moreover, old pandas tends to collect water which cause their stomachs to swell so they are required to take medication and other health products. However, Yongba was given none of this. Shenzhen Wild Animal Park Zoo doesn't provide Yongba with any regular heath check-ups and does not show any concern in the amount of food Yongba was eating.

Every 10 to 20 minutes, Yongba will go beat on the metal door which is where the workers will deliver her food through. When there are tourists who are willing to take pictures with Yongba with fee, workers will put Yongba to the outer cage. The workers will give Yongba two small apple after every picture. It is suppose to be normal for old pandas to sleep most of the time. However, knowing that it got to entertain the visitors and would be able to get two small apples for a treat, it hardly sleeps.

When Yongba was younger, she contributed by producing 10 off springs. And now when she grew old, the people doesn't take any value in her and take good care of her. It really hurts me to see that such things are happening in the world. Why can't people show respect to animals like how they do to mankind? Even after she grew old and was suppose to live her remaining life comfortably, the workers try to squeeze whatever profit they could get from making Yongba taking pictures with tourists.  This kind of behaviour is definitely not acceptable.

Source:
http://www.chinasmack.com/2009/pictures/panda-in-shenzhen-zoo-sick-hungry-exploited.html

Alicia – Is captive breeding really the best way to save pandas?

I was really appalled after reading this article. I had always thought that keeping pandas in the zoo was a way to save the alarming decrease of pandas. However, my mind-set changed after reading this article.   
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2220591/The-cruel-truth-Chinas-panda-factories.html

Summary and my thoughts of the articles:
Tao Tao was released to the wild after being captivated for two years at a zoo. The keepers who had taken care of him spared no detail in the preparation of the panda’s future. They made a model leopard with roaring sound to teach him about the potential predators. Today, Tao Tao is the only captive-bred giant panda in the wild.
If his release is a success, more young pandas will follow his footsteps and be released into the wild.However, Tao Tao isn't the first panda to be released. Xiang Xiang was released into the wild in 2009. He was found dead 10 months later, chased to his death by wild pandas. It is believed that he was caught in a fight with other wild pandas and took refuge in a tree and fell to his death. Dr Sarah Bexell said that captive-bred pandas are unlikely to be able to survive in the wild. Wild pandas are alert all the time to sense what’s going on around them and sense for any dangers. Captivity, on the other hand, dulls that sense. Their life is pre-programmed and they are bored and have no need to think.
Other than the development of the industries, the panda’s habitat is at increasing risk as Chinese tourist head to western China to revel in the mountain scenery and look for wild pandas. The tourists eat wild mushrooms and bamboos shoots. On top of that, they eat wild animals and red pandas is the new big delicacy. The artificial noise and sounds makes it unsettle for the wild animals and they got no choice, but to be forced further back into the shrinking habitat.  
One of the biggest flaws of captivity breeding is that the baby pandas are forced to be separated from their mother after six months even though in the wild, the mothers are supposed to be with their babies for two years to teach them social and survival skills. And the reason for separated the mother after six months is that the mother is needed to produce more offspring.  And what’s shocking to me is that the pandas were not left to breed naturally but an awful and painful process takes place, repeatedly DAILY during the annual ten day window of fertility. Sperm is ‘drawn’ from the males by inserting an electrified rubber truncheon into their anus. Collected and frozen in special panda sperm banks, straws of sperm are then carefully inserted into unconscious females, who are strapped to wooden boards. Scientists have stopped looking for more alternatives to save pandas as captivity breeding seem to be so successful and easy.
Even though it seems that releasing the panda to the wild may be a good idea, it is not at all. No efforts are being done to preserve or restore the habitats of the pandas for the continuity of the existence of the pandas. Releasing the pandas will only lead them to death. Captivity may be one of the options to save pandas, however it’s not enough compared to the rapid decrease of wild pandas.

Lin Wei – Don’t be so depressed about what you read, read this!

Well, after reading up all about the problems faced in conserving pandas and how persistent some people are in conserving pandas, it is time for some better news which I have read up on: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/reasons_to_celebrate_panda_conservation/.

So here’s the summary and thoughts of the article:

There are still 1 600 pandas in 2004 based on a survey which means that there’s still hope for the survival of pandas! Secondly, there have been an increasing number of nature reserves from a mere 13 in the past to over 50 nature reserves currently for the pandas. This is a significant increase in the number of nature reserves, which probably shows that efforts put in to address this issue are effective. Hence, people are more willing to fork out money to build these nature reserves. Doesn’t that sound good? Anyway, back to what I was saying, another reason why we should be more optimistic, Carrefour, a food retail in Europe, has worked with the WWF to provide people with alternative foods instead of poaching and harvesting Chinese herbs, affecting the panda’s habitat. Before the start of July 2006, WWF provided people living near nature reserves with more energy efficient systems so that the number of fuel-wood harvested from forests would be reduced. With that being said, it means that the risk of loss of habitat worsening is reduced. Better and more efficient patrolling system have been improvised so that the chances of illegal poaching and logging would be reduced. Ecotourism* have also been strongly encouraged. Lastly, more bamboos (200 ha) were planted. This would provide panda with more bamboos, reducing the chances of pandas dying due to the lack of nutrition.

*Ecotourism - responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people

After reading all of these, I feel that we should be more optimistic in the conservation of pandas. Instead of looking at the darker side, we should look at the brighter side, as it will give us more motivation in conserving pandas.

Lin Wei - About WWF

After reading up on WWF on http://wwf.panda.org/, here are some summary of this organization (I thought that it would be good to understand more about this organization as it is the main organization working to help conserving pandas):

About WWF

1. Their mission: to stop the degradation of our planet’s natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature

2. WWF is the organization behind ‘Earth Hour’ which hopes to change our attitude in using and conserving electricity.

3. It has been working for 50 years since the 60s

4. Their priority species includes tiger, gorilla, elephants, rhinos, marine turtles and of course, the giant panda which we’re researching on.

5. Their priority regions includes the Amazon, Himalayas, Coral Triangle, Arctic, Coastal East Africa and Borneo.

6. Some global initiatives include ‘China for a Global Shift’, ‘Climate & Energy’, ‘Forest & Climate’, ‘Green Heart of Africa’,  ‘Market Transformation’ and ‘Smart Fishing’.

Zhou Zhou - Personal Account from a Panda Survey Fieldworker

Hi guys!

Please go to this link and read this recount! It is by a fieldworker Fu Jianrong and it tells us about his journey and experience doing the National Panda Survey (refer to post on conservation efforts of the giant pandas).
http://www.wwfchina.org/english/pandacentral/htm/wwf_at_work/panda_survey/personal_account.htm

This article actually tells us that the National Panda Survey requires a lot of manpower in order to succeed. Also, it is an extremely treacherous and tiring expedition. The fieldworkers have to face many foreseen circumstances such as bad weather.

However, despite all these setbacks, the fieldworkers still continue doing this survey! It really shows how dedicated they are :) This means that we are putting in effort and doing the best we can to conserve giant pandas! A good sign :)

Zhou Zhou - Conservation Efforts of the Giant Pandas

1) Many organisations have been set up to educate the public on the giant pandas and research centres have also been set up. Examples are World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Defenders of Wildlife and Pandas International.

2) WWF is working with China and they have developed a conservation plan for the pandas 'National Conservation Management Plan for the Giant Panda and its Habitat' in 1992. It includes 14 reserves and 5 areas (mountains stated below) that will connect the patches of their habitat (refer to Sophia's post: Why are Panda's Endangered?) The connected patches will allow pandas to move to other areas where they can associate with other pandas and mate to increase the panda population. By the end of 2003, the Chinese government has established 40 panda reserves protecting more than 10,400 square km of forest in and around the giant panda habitat. However, these reserves cover about 60% of the wild giant panda population, which is distributed mainly in the Minshan Mountains, Qionglai Mountains, Liangshan Mountains, Qinling Mountains and Xiangling Mountains. An example of a nature reserve is the Wolong National Nature Reserve, renowned for its China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Pandas.

Some other conservation projects are:
-Panda Conservation in the Minshan Landscape
- Qinling Giant Panda Focal Project

3) Monitoring and Patrolling of the Giant Panda Habitats (enforcement of wildlife laws against poaching and the illegal collection of herbs for traditional Chinese medicine)

4) National Panda Survey (finding of information about the status of the giant panda population as its habitat is vital to the strategic planning and implementation of panda conservation efforts.)

Source: http://www.wwfchina.org/english/pandacentral/htm/wwf_at_work/wwf_at_work.htm 
            http://www.wwfchina.org/english/sub_loca.php?loca=28&sub=87

Lin Wei – Some General Information about Pandas

Summary of Pandas:

-Appearance

They’re distinctively white and black mammals. An adult panda weighs about 90kg to 140kg, and grows up to 1.5m to 1.8m in height!

-Habitat

They once used to live in lowland, however, human’s activity lead them to live in mountainous regions. They’re spread out in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu of China as these places provide them with sufficient bamboo (*look at their diet). The range of a female’s home is smaller compared to the male’s. Their home range may overlap with other pandas at times. Pandas also prefer to live alone.

-Life-Cycle

A panda at birth weighs about 90 to 130 grams, with a size of no more than 1/900 of its mother. For the first 8 to 9 months, they’re dependent on their mother. Around the 18^th month, the panda will leave its mother. A panda from the wild usually live for 14 to 20 years. However, its maximum life-span is 30.

-Diet

A panda’s diet consists of 99% of bamboo and 1% of vegetables or/and meat. They consume about 17 kg of bamboos in a day as bamboos are low in nutrition.

Resources:

http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/panda.htm

http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/panda/37997.htm

http://www.knowswhy.com/why-do-pandas-live-in-china/

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/panda_life_cycle/

http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/about/FAQs/GiantPandas/DietofGiantPandas.html

Sophia - Why are pandas endangered?

Even though a lot is being done to conserve pandas, they are still endangered. This is mainly because their habitats are being affected, in a bad way.

Habitat loss
The panda's main source of food is bamboo which only grows at an altitude of 500 - 3100 m. Like Zhou said in her first post, a panda consumes 38 kg worth of bamboo daily. However much of the land has been cleared for timber, agriculture, fuel for heating and cooking, infrastructure for a growing population and hydro-power development. So now the Panda's habitat has been confined to above 1400 m ): Furthermore their habitat is at risk of shrinking even further! It has shrunk by 50% between 1974 and 1989. Where are the pandas going to live if their habitat disappears and what are they going to eat?

Isolated habitats
The panda's habitat is separated into many isolated areas. Pandas cannot migrate between their different sections of habitat so they have difficulty finding new feeding areas during periods of bamboo die-off (bamboo die-back is a natural phenomenon that occurs every 15-120 years). Small isolated populations of pandas face greater risk of inbreeding, which can lead to reduced resistance to diseases, less adaptability to environmental changes and reproductive problems. This increases their chances of extinction.

Growing human population
Millions of people share the panda's environment and rely on the natural resources found in the area. With the increasing population, more people are moving to live around the panda's habitat and panda habitat is continuing to shrink. Many panda populations are isolated in narrow strips of bamboo no more than 1.2 km wide. Because of the ban of logging in the panda's habitat, mining, hydro-power development and irresponsible tourism has increased to make up for the revenue loss. These along with agricultural activities and road construction are serious threats to the pandas and wildlife in that area.

Here is a cute panda video!

Source: wwf.panda.org

Zhou Zhou - Panda Conservation Efforts in China

Hi guys

This post will be a summary and a brief analysis of the panda conservation efforts in China. http://www.wwfchina.org/english/pandacentral/htm/learn_about_giant_panda/panda_q_a/conservation_efforts.htm

The three main actions taken by the Chinese government to conserve pandas are:

- nature reserves
- ban of logging*
- breeding pandas in captivity

*logging: the activity of cutting down trees for wood (Cambridge Online Dictionary)

In my opinion, the ban on logging is significant as there is already limited bamboo forests for the pandas. Putting a ban on logging will at least ensure that the pandas have their source of food and habitat. With the implementation of this ban, some of the people who used to work in logging lost their jobs and turned to illegal methods to earn money such as poaching which can harm other species of animals.

For the breeding in captivity, the main objective is to re-introduce captive pandas into the wild. This can benefit the pandas as they will learn the basic skills of survival and increase the chance of long-term survival in the wild. However, it is difficult to set up a breeding centre due to the lack of trained staff members and resources.

As for the nature reserves, there are already 33 of them: Five are in Shaanxi Province, two are in Gansu Province, and the rest are in Sichuan Province. Nature reserves ensure that the pandas can live peacefully and at the same time researchers can also observe them and do find out more about them so that hopefully that will be more ways to save the endangered pandas. However, nature reserves are very costly. The government will have to cut down their expenditure on other components such as education and transport.

Zhou Zhou - Should we continue to conserve pandas?

Hi guys! :)

So I've found differing viewpoints on the conservation of pandas. I'll be making a summary out of these articles and adding in my own reasons and using facts to back up my reasons. Here are the links if you want to read the full articles:
Viewpoints:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/23/panda-extinction-chris-packham%20Why%20should%20we%20save%20the%20giant%20panda?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15691450

Viewpoint 1: We should give up on ensuring the survival of the pandas.
Firstly, we do not have enough resources. Pandas' only source of food is bamboo. Bamboo itself is very low in nutrients and pandas consume an average of 38kg of bamboos per day! This means that we need a large area of bamboo plantation to ensure that pandas have a continuous supply of food. However, many forests/bamboo trees are cut down to give space to build more houses in order to meet the housing needs of the growing population.

Secondly, since pandas are herbivores and only eat bamboos, they are prone to many diseases (eg. cold and upper respiratory tract infections)

Lastly, they are hard to breed in captivity. Female pandas are only fertile for one 36-hour period per year and if they feel that the environment she is in does not support her cub, she will not breed.

Viewpoint 2: We should continue to try our best to ensure the survival of the pandas:
Firstly, by conserving the pandas, we are also saving our species of animals as they share the same habitat. For example, in china, the giant panda shares its habitat with the red panda, golden monkeys and various species of birds that are found no where else in the world.

Secondly, pandas play a crucial role in the bamboo forests as they help to disperse the seeds of the plants and increase the area of the vegetation.

Thirdly, the panda's habitat is also home for millions of people in china. Since their habitat is in the centre of China, we will help to increase the standard of living for the locals by sustaining the area.

Also, the number of pandas in the wild is increasing, showing that our efforts have not gone to waste and it can be successful.

Sources:
Why we should save the giant pandas
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/why_we_save_the_giant_panda/

Giant Pandas
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giant_panda.html

Dead cub shows how hard breeding pandas can be
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/story/2012/09/25/panda-cubs-death-shows-nature-is-in-charge/57838334/1

That's all! :)

Sophia - Tester Post

Hello just testing (: Anyway always title your post with your name and then the title of your post (: