NEWS FLASH!

Decades of efforts establishing reserves, etc., have paid off: The giant panda is no longer endangered. Its status has been changed to “vulnerable”.

And talking of pandas ...

They are omnivorous, consuming fish, fruit, and small vertebrates, but their favourite food is bamboo – of which they only consume 25 of a total of about 100 bamboo species. They forage for up to 16 hours/day.

Pandas have a special bamboo finger, i.e. a small outgrowth on the forepaw pads. The animals hold a stem between the bamboo finger and the other fingers, peeling off leaves.

Females can only become pregnant for 24-72 hours a year. Their sexually active period is any time between February and May, and so, males are wellequipped for mating with testicles that are 2-3 times larger than the usual size.