The panda, the "black and white cat-foot", also known as the giant panda to distinguish
it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear native to central-western and south western
China. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes,
over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the
panda's diet is 99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild
tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may
receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially
prepared food.
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan
province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. As a result of farming,
deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas
where it once lived.
The panda is a conservation reliant endangered species. A 2007 report shows 239 pandas
living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Wild population
estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the
wild, while a 2006 study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could be as high as
2,000 to 3,000. Some reports also show that the number of pandas in the wild is on the
rise. However, the IUCN does not believe there is enough certainty yet to reclassify the
species from Endangered to Vulnerable.
While the dragon has often served as China's national emblem, internationally the panda appears at least as commonly.
As such, it is becoming widely used within China in international contexts, for example the five Fuwa mascots of the Beijing Olympics.
