The Amazing Red Panda Written By: Claire
​ I am a red panda or a firefox, you might say. I am endangered and my population is getting smaller day by day. If you would just make a contribution, I might live another day. But if you don’t, I might fade away...
Introduction The red panda is an amazing animal, but sadly, they are disappearing more. The red panda's scientific name is Ailurus Fulgens. Other names for the red panda are lesser panda, red cat bear, and fire-coloured cat. Maybe if you just make a little contribution you can save this poor cute animal. Description The red panda is a small mammal and usually grows to about one foot. The red panda has similarities to the bear and raccoon families. Today it is placed with the raccoon family but also in its own separate subfamily, the Ailurinae. The red panda has the face of a fox and the body of a raccoon. The red panda has a distinctive coat that is a very soothing reddish-brown color on its back and black on its legs. The coat helps the red panda blend in with the trees that are often covered in reddish-brown moss. Another thing the red panda uses is its long, furry tail to keep itself warm on cold chilly mountain nights. It surrounds itself with its tail. The red pandas spend most of their lives in trees and even sleep in the branches. When foraging, they are nocturnal; they are most active after sundown and sunrise. The red panda tries to conserve as much energy as it can, by keeping activity to a small amount. An ordinary life span of a red panda would be about eight years.
Habitat The red pandas habitat is found in moderate humid mountain forests at elevations to about 2,200 and 4,800 meters above sea level, where there are thick bamboo trees right below the rainforest canopy. The red pandas habitat is also shared with the giant pandas that live at rainy, high altitude, forest environments. The red pandas live in the mountains of Nepal and Central China.
Why the Red panda Is Endangered The red panda is endangered because it is a target of logging. Their natural space is shrinking more as forests are destroyed by the spread of farming. Also they are endangered because of hunters and poachers that capture them for the medicinal qualities of their body parts. These animals are still hunted to make accessories and hats for weddings. Another threat of the red panda is its diet. The red panda is one of the few mammal species in the world that eats bamboo. Now due to the destruction of bamboo forests, there are only 10,000 adults left in the wild.
Diet The red pandas preferable meal is bamboo, but other things the red panda might eat are fruit, roots, eggs, grasses, acorns, and small animals, such as insects, small rodents, and young birds.
The Implications if the Red Panda Becomes Extinct If the red panda becomes extinct, then the food chain will be unbalanced. There will be too much bamboo and too many little critters. Also if the red panda becomes extinct, your children or future generations will not be able to see and enjoy the red panda like we do.
Solutions Some solutions that can help the red panda are making donations. Also if you see a red panda fur hat being sold at a store, do not buy it, because it will be another step to the extinction of red pandas. Another way you can help the red panda is to go against the poachers and the people that cut down the forests that are the red pandas’ environment. Lastly, you can help them by writing articles about how you can save the red panda and post them on the internet or the daily paper.
Authors Opinion My opinion of the red panda is that it is an outstanding animal, but people just don’t realize how special this animal really is. The red pandas would really appreciate it if you take some time to help them through their lives. Really, it just takes a few minutes to make a difference in the world.
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