Giant Panda

The giant panda, belonging to the bear family, is one of the largest mammals, growing to 1.2-1.5 meters long, and weighing between 75-160 kilograms. Classified as a rare animal, the giant panda is famous worldwide for its lovely, two-tone black and white coat. Although debate over its classification has been controversial for many years in academia, analysis of the entire DNA genome in 2010 revealed that the giant panda is related to the bear. Its natural habitats are the mountains of Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces in China. Giant pandas live in bamboo groves at an altitude of 1000-3000 meters, and have a main diet of bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots. In recent years, the number of giant pandas have fallen and they are threatened with extinction due to environmental habitat destruction and poaching. In 2015, the Chinese government announced that the estimated number remaining was around 1800. In 1984, after CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banned international trade for all purposes other than academic research, the Chinese government began to ‘rent’ giant pandas to zoos around the world instead of donating them. Income from the expensive rental fees is being used to protect the giant panda’s habitat. In Japan, in 1972, to commemorate the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, two giant pandas, named Kang Kang and Lan Lan, were transported to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Their arrival caused a significant spike in visitors to the zoo.