by Arielle Young

Back in the late 1970s, the panda population dropped to a frightening average of one thousand pandas worldwide, making the term 'endangered' seem a little light for the situation at hand. Today, because of a rigorous conservation program, the population has risen to about 1,600 pandas, all of which are currently sprinkled amongst six mountain ranges in southwestern China. The number is still too narrow for imminent survival of the species in future generations; in fact, statistics predict that the species, if China doesn't reevaluate their industrialist ways, will only live through two or three more generations.

Pandas in their Chinese habitat literally inhabit belts of bamboo less than a mile wide, making accidental human interaction a very strong possibility. Fan Zhiyong, a leading conservationist and the species program director for the World Wide Fund for Nature in China, illuminates the effects:

"The construction of highways at nature reserves permanently dissects the panda's habitat, obstructing migration, mating and healthy gene exchange."

Mating habits are also an issue, says the World Wide Fund. Pandas in captivity are already known for their selectivity, and reproduction within a controlled environment leads to lower reproductive rates and weaker immune systems. Needless to say, China's signature mascot is in danger of being wiped from the face of the planet if action isn't taken immediately. The country will have to decide between the need for rapid economic growth, or the miraculous and highly-endangered panda species. We certainly hope the panda prevails in this pursuit.

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via Telegraph