Pandas' food forces them to relocate by Corina Ciubotaru

Deforestation is a problem that affects bears all around Asia. As their habitat becomes smaller, food becomes scarce and the quality of the habitat decreases. Pandas are the most affected by a change in environment, as they feed on just one type of plant, the arrow bamboo, and panda numbers have decreased during the last few years. Their bamboos also go through a 60-year life cycle, after which they produce flowers and seeds, and then die. This means the panda populations relocate during this time, and some of them have already started. None of them have been found dead, and the Chinese forestry bureau is trying to restore panda migration paths, together with the World Wildlife Fund. Poaching is another big problem for all bears, and is not solved only by creating reservations, but requires also a change in mentality. Other issues for pandas include breeding problems in captivity. Besides endangered pandas, hundreds of which died during the last cycle of bamboo renewal, the IUCN included sun bears, sloths, polar bears, Andean bears and Asiatic black bears on its vulnerable list. The sun bear had not been included on this list before due to lack of information; its numbers have decreased by 30 percent in the last 30 years, while panda numbers now reach 1,600 in the wild, with only 31 born this year and 33 last year, of which 11 were twins, thanks to artificial techniques. The only species that remain safe from harm are the brown bear and the American black bear.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_sc/china_pandas;_ylt=AsbGRwxcJQCa3dGG9h2wZzCs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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