Bamboo shortage a risk to pandas

The giant panda is already on the endangered list. The number of pandas in the world has been falling for decades. There are several reasons for this. One is that many of the panda's forests have gone. They have been cut down to make towns and cities. Another is the fact that the animal breeds very slowly and has few cubs (baby pandas). The panda is now facing another big threat to its survival – a shortage of food. A new report shows that bamboo, the panda's main food, is disappearing because of climate change. Bamboo is pretty much the only food the panda eats. Ninety-nine per cent of its diet is bamboo. An adult panda needs around 38 kilograms of bamboo every day.

The study predicts that nearly all the bamboo in China's Qinling Mountains could disappear by the end of this century because of global warming. That means pandas would have nothing to eat. The study said: "Results suggest that almost the entire panda habitat in the [Qinling] region may disappear by the end of the 21st century." The researchers said the only chance of survival the panda has is if they move higher up the mountains. Scientist Jianguo Liu warned that we must start helping pandas now, saying: "It is tough, but I think there's still hope, if we take action now." Panda lovers are shocked at this latest bad news. Panda expert Chang Leng said it was time for the world to wake up and help the panda.