Giant pandas are one of the world’s most iconic creatures and it seems they are facing a newly identified threat: livestock.
Here’s some info from an interesting story I came across.
Livestock, particularly horses, have been identified as a significant threat to panda survival. The reason: They’re beating the pandas to the bamboo buffet. A paper by Michigan State University panda habitat experts published in this week’s Journal for Nature Conservation explores an oft-hidden yet significant conflict in conservation.
“Across the world, people are struggling to survive in the same areas as endangered animals, and often trouble surfaces in areas we aren’t anticipating,” said Jianguo “Jack” Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability at Michigan State University. “Creating and maintaining successful conservation policy means constantly looking for breakdowns in the system. In this case, something as innocuous as a horse can be a big problem.”
My daughter Faith face to face with a giant panda at a park in China.
We often look at the biggest threats to endangered animals like panda as poaching and habitat destruction related to development but sometimes the biggest threats are much less obvious.