How China’s Economic Growth Affects Populations

Giant Panda: How China’s Economic Growth Affects Populations Young panda approaching through the bushes [Fritz Poelking, 2008] Daniel Quiroga English 110 Dawn Service 5 April 2012 Giant Panda: How China’s Economic Growth Affects Populations Daniel Quiroga English 110 Dawn Service 5 April 2012 Summary Giant Panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China and it is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body.

The number of pandas living in the wild is approximately 1590 with most of its population living between the Qinling and Minshan Mountains. A 2007 report shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. The panda’s habitat is in the broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda’s diet is 99% bamboo and in the wild it will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion.

Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight and their mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into her estrous cycle which lasts for two or three days and only occurs once a year. China’s economy has grown substantially since 1960. The population of the second largest economy in the world shot up by 73 million people over the past decade. New data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that of China’s 1. 35 billion people, 51. 3% lived in urban areas at the end of 2011.

Since 1961 this charismatic animal is the logo for the first international conservation organization called World Wildlife Fund. This organization was invited by the government of China to assist in the work of increasing the area of the panda’s habitat, patrolling against poaching and illegal logging, building local capacities for nature reserve management and continue researching and monitoring Pandas. Despite the great efforts, the slow reproductive rate of pandas makes reviving their population difficult. World Wildlife Fund, 2012] [Hays, Jeffrey, 2008] Giant Panda The panda ,Ailuropoda melanoleuca, also known as the giant panda to distinguish the unrelated red panda, is a bear native to central-western and south western China. [World Wildlife Fund, 2007. ] The Giant Panda is a mammal belonging to the bear family, or Ursidae. The Ailuropodinae is the oldest family of the most primitive lineage of bears and the fossils of the oldest ancestral panda, Ailuropoda lufengensesis, which are found in southern China, are about 8 million years old. The Bear Planet Facts, 2006] The giant Panda, sometimes referred to as the black-and-white cat-foot, belongs to the order of Carnivora [New World Encyclopedia, 2008] and it is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. [The Bear Planet Facts, 2006] Figure 1: Illustrates where the giant panda is situated in the order or Carnivores and it relation with the bear family. [Bear Planet Facts, 2006] Size and Appearance The giant panda has a black-and-white coat. [World Wildlife Fund, 2007] Adults measure around 1. to 1. 8 meters (4 to 6 ft) long, including a tail of about 13 cm (5. 1 in), and 60 to 90 centimeters (1 ft 10 in to 2 ft 10 in) tall at the shoulder. [ Giant Panda Species Survival Plan, 2006]. Females weigh around 80 kilograms whilst males reach a weight of 85-125 kilograms [Animal Planet, 2006]. Fig. 2 illustrates a comparison between a 4 to 5ft, 300 lbs with a 6-ft man. The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, arms and shoulders. The rest of the animal’s coat is white.

Although scientists do not know why these unusual bears are black and white, some speculate that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage in its shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings [Dudley, Karen, 1997]. The giant panda’s thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat [Dudley, Karen, 1997]. Figure 2: Illustrates a comparison between a 4 to 5ft, 300 lbs with a 6-ft man [National Geographic, n. d. ] Habitat and Distribution Giant pandas live in Western China, in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet.

Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year characterizes these forests, often shrouded in heavy clouds. [Smithsonian National Zoo-Park, 2008. ] Wild population one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild, A 2007 report shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. [Wang, 2008]. Most of the wild life panda population is being distributed between Qinling and Minshan Mountains. The highest density of pandas in the wild is in Minshan Mountain area, which hosts around 720 panda bears, 45% of the total wild population.

These mountains form a natural barrier between the densely populated southern and eastern provinces of China and the great wilderness of the Tibetan Plateau to the west. Another 200-300 hundred pandas are located in the Qinling Mountains, 20% of the wild population. These mountains forms a natural barrier between northern and southern China and protects the south from the cold northern weather and warm rains on the southern slopes support a rich variety of plants and animals. [World Wild Life Fund, 2012]

Figure 3: The majority of the Giant Panda population is located in the mountain range of Mishan and Qingling [Habitat-Land of the Panda, World Wild Life Fund, 2012] Eating Habits Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda’s diet is 99% bamboo. [The Bear Planet Facts, 2006] Bamboo contains very little nutritional value, so pandas must eat 12-38kg every day to meet their energy needs Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. [World Wide Fund, n. d. In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes. Wild giant pandas get much of the water they need from bamboo, a grass whose contents are about half water. (New bamboo shoots are about 90 percent water. ) But giant pandas need more water than what bamboo alone can provide. So almost every day wild pandas also drink fresh water from rivers and streams that are fed by melting snowfall in high mountain peaks [Smithsonian National Zoo-Park, 2008] Social Structure and Reproduction

Giant pandas are generally solitary, each adult having a well-defined home range, within which they move about regularly. Although they are not territorial, females do not tolerate other females and sub-adults within the core areas of their range. Encounters are rare outside the brief mating season, but pandas communicate fairly often, mostly through vocalization and scent marking. As the animals move about, they mark their routes by spraying urine, clawing tree trunks, and rubbing against objects. [World Wild Life Fund, 2012].

Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight, and may be reproductive until age 20. [Smithsonian National Zoo-Park, 2008] The mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into her estrous cycle which lasts for two or three days and only occurs once a year. When mating, the female is in a crouching, head-down position as the male mounts her from behind. Copulation time is short, ranging from thirty seconds to five minutes, but the male may mount her repeatedly to ensure successful fertilization.

The gestation period ranges from 95 to 160 days. [Kleiman, Devra, n. d. ] China’s Economic Growth China has a huge economy and is progressing rapidly. The average personal income in China has risen by five per cent a year since the mid 1990s [Science Daily, 2012]. The income increase combined with the growing population and industries has led to a constant economic growth. In the last 30 years, the rate of Chinese economic growth has been miraculous, averaging 8 percent growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per annum.