How Many Red Pandas Are Left in the Wild?

These lovable critters are sadly at risk of extinction. Find out how many red pandas are left in the world, and how you can help.

野外还剩下多少只小熊猫？

这些可爱的小动物正悲哀地面临灭绝的危险。了解世界上剩下多少只小熊猫，以及如何提供帮助。

Endearing, but endangered

The red panda is one of the cutest animals in the world. Its fluffy rust-coloured coat, sweet smile, and tiny, attentive eyes make it difficult for us to imagine a more adorable animal. Unfortunately, the red panda is an endangered species, and there are only a few of these little guys left in the wild. In honour of upcoming Red Panda Day on September 21st, learn more facts about the red panda, and what humans can do to help them.

讨人喜欢，但濒临灭绝

小熊猫是世界上最可爱的动物之一。它穿着蓬松的铁锈色外套、甜美的笑容、细小而细心的眼睛使我们很难想象还有比它更可爱的动物。不幸的是，小熊猫是一种濒临灭绝的物种，只有少数的这些小家伙尚留在野外。为纪念即将于9月21日举行的小熊猫日，请了解更多关于小熊猫的事情，以及人类可以做些什么来帮助它们。

Where do the remaining red pandas live?

Red pandas live in the “dense forests of the mid-hills of the Himalaya,” according to the journal of Global Ecology and Conservation. This means that red pandas like to live predominantly in Nepal, where they make their homes in high-altitude forests with lots of bamboo plants to crunch on. They also live in northern Myanmar, southern Tibet, and central China. Red pandas like to spend their time in trees, where they can sunbathe and stay safe from predators, like birds of prey and sneaky snow leopards. Like its relative, the giant panda, red pandas rely on bamboo as its dietary staple.

剩下的小熊猫在哪里生活？

根据《全球生态与保护》杂志的报道，小熊猫生活在“喜马拉雅山中丘丛中的茂密森林”中。这意味着小熊猫大部分时间喜欢居住在尼泊尔，它们在高海拔的森林中生活，有许多竹子植物可以啃咬。他们还住在缅甸北部、西藏南部和中国中部。小熊猫喜欢在树上度时光，它们可以享受日光浴并远离掠食者，如猛禽和鬼鬼祟祟的雪豹。像它的亲戚一样，大熊猫，小熊猫依靠竹子作为其主食。

Why are red pandas endangered?

As is the case with many other animals, the primary existential threat to red pandas is human behaviour! And we’re not shocked. Humans and human-caused environmental degradation are a threat to “99 per cent of currently threatened species,” according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Human behaviours that affect red pandas include poaching, habitat destruction, and trafficking. According to a report by the NGO wildlife organization, Traffic, red panda fur is illegally trafficked and used to create clothing and hats. However, there’s some good news: while conducting interviews in Southwestern China about wildlife trade, this organization discovered that the younger generations no longer like to wear animal fur products. In addition to outside threats, red pandas are also threatened by their infrequent windows of fertility, and low rate of reproduction.

为什么小熊猫濒临灭绝？

与许多其他动物一样，小熊猫的主要存在威胁是人类行为！ 我们并不感到震惊。 根据生物多样性中心的数据，人类和人为造成的环境退化对“目前99％受威胁的物种”构成了威胁。 影响小熊猫的人类行为包括偷猎、栖息地破坏和贩运。 根据非政府组织野生动植物组织报告，小熊猫毛被非法交易贩运并用于制作衣服和帽子。不过，也有一些好消息：在中国西南地区就野生动植物贸易进行采访时，该组织发现年轻一代不再喜欢穿动物毛皮。除了外部威胁之外，小熊猫还受到罕见繁育和低繁殖率的威胁。

What are nations doing to protect the red panda?

Smithsonian reports that red pandas are “legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Myanmar.” However, a report by the National Trust for Nature Conservation, hosted by the Government of Nepal, points to “poor conservation awareness and weak law enforcement” to be a contributing factor in the devastating population loss of red pandas. Though the Nepalese government has listed red pandas as an endangered species, “little research work has been conducted due to lack of funding.” Despite this, the Government of Nepal and its cooperators aims to increase cooperation with conservation agencies, diversify the income of the population so they aren’t tempted to hunt red pandas, and control grazing zones for local livestock.

各国为保护小熊猫做了些什么？

史密森尼报告说，小熊猫在印度、不丹、中国、尼泊尔和缅甸受到“法律保护。”然而，尼泊尔政府主办的国家自然保护信托基金会的一份报告指出“保护意识薄弱，法律薄弱” 执法“是造成小熊猫数量急剧下降的一个因素。虽然尼泊尔政府已将小熊猫列为濒临灭绝的物种，但“由于缺乏资金，很少进行研究工作。”尽管如此，尼泊尔政府及其合作者的目的是加强与保护机构的合作，使小熊猫数量多样化； 因此他们不会想捕杀小熊猫，并控制当地牲畜的放牧区。

Exactly how many red pandas are left?

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are less than 10,000 red pandas left in the world. To put that number into perspective, keep in mind that red pandas are only two-foot long. If we could put all of Earth’s red pandas into one place and line them up back-to-back, they would fit comfortably onto a (57,600 square ft.) football field. In fact, the entire red panda population would only reach midfield. Ten thousand may seem like a large number, but not when it comes to the population of a species. There are approximately 753,000 times more human beings than red pandas on Earth, with the human population predicted to reach 8.5 billion people by 2030.

究竟剩下多少只小熊猫？

根据世界自然基金会的资料，世界上只剩下不到10,000只小熊猫。要记住这个数字，请记住，小熊猫只有两英尺长。如果我们可以将地球上的所有小熊猫放在一个地方并将它们背对背排列，它们就可以舒适地放在（57,600平方英尺）的足球场上。事实上，整个小熊猫数量只能到达中心场地。一万个可能看起来像一个很大的数字，但不是一个物种的数量。人类的人口多于地球的小熊猫约753,000倍，预计到2030年人口将达到85亿人。

How can I help?

If you want to personally contribute to the effort to save red pandas, you can donate to anti-poaching efforts like The Red Panda Network, adopt a red panda from the World Wildlife Fund, or donate to organizations that are fighting deforestation.

我该怎么帮忙？

如果你想亲自为拯救小熊猫做出贡献，你可以向《小熊猫网》捐赠，反偷猎活动，收养世界野生动物基金会的小熊猫，或者捐赠那些正在与森林砍伐作斗争的组织。