Table of Contents
Deforestation
Illegally hunting and killing wild animals.
Accidental Trapping
Red pandas look like raccoons and have fur in shades of orange, brown or black. Central China and the surrounding areas are home to red pandas. They spend their lives living in isolated mountain areas among the trees. In the wild, these species can live for 8-10 years. However, in zoos, where they’re protected from human causes of extinction, they may last up to 15 years. Red panda numbers have declined over the past fifty years because of deforestation. Poaching and accident trapping were also factors.
DeforestationThe red Panda chews bamboo and leaves as it moves around the trees. The claws on the panda help it stay in the forest and the fur on its body helps to camouflage the red moss, lichen trees, and other plants. “The panda is comfortable here. Few places are as safe and remote. As towns grow around the panda forest, more land is cut down to make firewood and for farming. Researchers estimate the animal’s habitat has shrunk by up to 50 percent in the last two decades. Miles Roberts is a wildlife scientist at the National Zoo …” The deforestation of trees to meet human needs has led to the endangerment of red pandas in the United States. The red panda is most at risk from habitat loss. Stop cutting down trees in large quantities. This will not only help red pandas, but also other species. By preserving trees, the environment is unified and unaffected. Plants and animals can also thrive in a variety of tree environments. Deforestation increases the diversity of trees as more trees are removed from an area. Also, organisms which live on trees die off. Reforestation is the only way to solve this issue and create more habitats for animals such as red pandas.
PoachingPoaching is a problem for red pandas. Not only are they threatened by deforestation, but the poaching that occurs leads to many of them being killed. The pelts of red pandas, which can be made into capes or hats for sale in Bhutan and other places where they are found, are harvested. Poaching will eventually lead to a complete extinction of pandas. Some pandas are illegally traded, and some are poached. These practices negatively impact species already on the endangered list. People buy these animals to make products, inadvertently putting the species at risk. This poaching has resulted in a decrease of biodiversity due to the decreasing red panda populations. It is wrong to poach these pandas because they are such a rare species. One way to stop the poaching is by not buying products made with red panda furs or goods derived from their poaching. There are also organizations that have been formed to help preserve these animals, and prevent their poaching. Red Panda Network’s Conservation in Bhutan Project is one example. These organizations can also be supported by donations.
Accidental trapping is another cause of the red panda decline. Red pandas can get caught in traps that are meant for other animals. The traps can be dangerous, and are usually designed for animals like wolves and bears. However, pandas may accidentally fall into them. Red pandas that get trapped in these traps usually suffer serious injuries and die (Cook, 2018). It happens more than most people realize, and this has contributed to the decline of panda populations. This problem also contributes to the decline of biodiversity because any animal caught in a cage trap could be killed. The issue is easily solved by removing the traps that allow small animals to be trapped and killed.
