SNAP!

[#1]

Oh, they’re cute! Oh, they’re cuddly! These 12 fluffy panda cubs were born this year at the Changdu Research Center for Giant Panda Breeding. Their arrival meant a boost to the number of these endangered black-and-white bears. 

This facility started with just six pandas in 1987 and now has a budding population of 108. The center also breeds red pandas and golden monkeys.

Over the past two decades the research center has worked with other countries including Japan, the US and Spain to develop research projects into baby panda breeding.

Although pandas belong to the carnivore family, their diet is 99% bamboo. Those in the wild may occasionally eat other grasses, tubers or even a rare piece of meat from birds or rodents. In captivity they’ll also receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, oranges and specially prepared feed.

In the wild, these pandas live in small, remote areas in the mountains of China. Their most serious threat comes from the loss of habitat. Farming, deforestation and other man-made developments have driven the pandas out of the natural regions where they once thrived.

Today there are fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild. Programs such as Changdu’s have helped to increase the population and move these pandas further from the threat of extinction.

Panda’s are looked upon as the ambassador for all endangered species, the giant panda is a well-recognized symbol of international wildlife conservation. Learn more about panda conservation at the WWF.  

[#2]

These are such beautiful creatures, and how wonderful that there is a breeding program for them. Or indeed, multiple ones. Your first picture, of all the babies on the pink blanket, is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen! I see the pictures on the Internet periodically but they are not usually accompanied by educational material on what we regular people can do to help these endangered species. Anyone know?

[#3]

Well, short of 'adopting' one (there's a link for that on the WWF site SandyK mentioned at the end), your best bet is probably donating to organizations like Changdu or WWF that try to protect panda environments.

If you ask me, one of the best (and easiest!) things any of us can do is raise awareness, especially through social media. This blog post reaches x number of people, then someone posts it on Facebook where 300 of their friends see it, and if even one person reposts it... you get the idea. Not everyone is interested or willing to take action when they hear about these problems, but they won't know about them at all if we don't spread the word. And the cute pictures definitely help!

[#4]

The tough part about this is that most of the seven billion humans alive today don't really care about this.  While I certainly like the fact that there are people out there who are actively working to save what they feel they can, I find myself being often very sceptical that unless there is a Long Term Plan put forward by First World Nations encouraging Second and Third world nations to participate, with goals, safeguards, monitoring and accountability, very little will actually change.   They are amazing animals, and beautiful to look at.   

[#5]

I agree with quizfan that for those of us who DO care, we need to spread the word in any way we can. I like quizfan's point about social media. It raises awareness exponentially! I sympathize with rafferty64's feeling of powerlessness, but I really think people can be persuaded when they're given enough information. Another key point to raise is the idea of ecosystems and interdependence. When one species faces extinction, it affects the world around them -- human, flora, and fauna. This alone should be reason enough for people to care!