When is National Panda Day?
National Panda Day occurs on March 16th.
What is National Panda Day?
You wouldn’t want to cuddle one, but panda bears are adorable. And they’re endangered. National Panda Day promotes awareness about pandas and the threats to their habitat.
Less than 2,000 pandas live in the wild. Worldwide, there are only 400 in zoos or wildlife parks. They’re native to China alone. In fact, the Western world didn’t even find out about Pandas until 1869.
Panda habitats are shrinking though. Urban development and heavy pollution in China threaten the existence of pandas. They don’t breed well in captivity either. Female pandas are only fertile a max of three days a year, and 60% of males in captivity display no sexual desire.
As the bamboo forests of China shrink and toxic rain upsets their habitat, the danger to pandas continues to grow. On National Panda Day, we remember the need to find creative solutions to our most challenging conservation problems.
Fun facts about National Panda Day!
- Pandas can get as big as 350 pounds, and 99% of their diet is bamboo.
- A group of pandas is called an embarrassment.
- A subspecies of the giant panda is the Qinling panda. Only about 200 to 300 live in the wild.
- The red panda is also endangered. It’s about the size of a cat and looks like a brownish raccoon.
- The scientific name for pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) means “black and white cat-foot.”
- Poachers can sell panda pelts for as much as $100,000 a piece on the black market.
How to celebrate National Panda Day:
Give to panda conservation organizations, and spread the word about the plight of pandas.
What’s the hashtag for National Panda Day?
Support the world’s panda populations by using #NationalPandaDay on social media.