The endangered pandas in Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food—bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature and Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. "80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century." said Liu Jianguo, one of the report's authors. He added, "This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world."
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves.
"But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese," said Shirley Martin from World Wildlife Fund but not a member of the team.
The Qinling Mountains, in the southwest of China, are home to about 260 pandas. That is about 13% of the China's wild panda population. In addition, about 375 are living in research centers and zoos in China.
Protecting China's Giant Pandas
China's giant pandas show the achievement of the international effort to save animals that are now in danger. In television programmes we often see pandas 1 funny games. Children have panda toys and beautiful cards with pictures of lovely 2 in them. They often visit the giant pandas in the zoos on 3 holidays and have a good time there. However, scientists are worried about 4 of giant pandas. They know only about 1,000 giant pandas remain 5 today. They think the giant pandas will die out in 30 years if the present conditions are not 6.
It is reported that the giant pandas have a very 7 birth rate. About 115 pandas live in the zoos and research centres mainly in China, but during the past 10 years they 8 only 34 9 pandas that are still alive. The survival rate of giant pandas in the wild is probably the same or lower.
There are several reasons for the low 10. The main reason is 11 male pandas can make love with females in a very 12 season—only a few days a year. When they do have babies, females often produce two pandas, but the mother is usually not able to care for 13 of them. The newborn pandas 14 only a few kilograms each. They are too weak to live without special care. In the zoo, scientists can help the mothers 15 the young pandas, but those living in the wild do not get enough 16. It is very difficult for mother pandas to bring up their young pandas.
Conditions for the giant pandas have been worse in recent years. Pandas in China continue to 17 in number. We know pandas live on bamboos. But sometimes all the bamboos in one area die. The pandas there have 18 to eat and die of hunger.
Giant pandas now live in 13 separate 19 areas in China. Several years ago the Chinese government and the International Wildlife Organization agreed 20 a project of protecting giant pandas in the wild. We hope it could be useful.
1）野生动物的现状（过度猎捕）；
2）保护建议（建保护区、提高保护意识等）；
3）美好愿景。
注意：1）词数80左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）开头和结尾已经写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：自然保护区nature reserve 意识awareness
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