Extinct Animal : Giant Panda

One of the world’s rarest animals, the giant panda lives in the sub-alpine forests in the west central region of China. The classification of the panda has long been a matter of controversy among zoologists. Originally classified with the bears, it was later grouped with raccoons. The weight of evidence that has accumulated over the years, however, now supports the view that it is related to bears. Its closest relative is the spectacled bear of South America.

The giant panda is a large, stocky animal measuring up to 1.5 m in length and weighing up to 150 kg. Its diet consists chiefly of vegetable matter, but it also eats small animals.

Shy and solitary by nature when in the wild, they become friendly and playful in captivity. Only a handful exist in zoos of the western world, but Chinese zoos have reported successful breeding of their pandas. Currently, the World Wildlife Fund and the Chinese Ministry of Forestry have developed a conservation management plan that outlines 14 new panda reserves and five corridors connecting patches of panda habitat.