Is the giant panda more like a bear or a racoon? They certainly look bearish, but few of their unusual features have led people to believe they were not a bear. Only after a century of debate, scientists were able to test the genes from a panda and determine that they are a species of bear.

Panda bears are usually found in a wilderness area in China that continues to diappear due to human enroachment. They like to live in cold, damp coniferous forests between 4,000 to 11,000 feet high in elevation. Panda bears require high bamboo stands for both food and cover. However, the people of China have been cutting down bamboo forests for houses and farming. This leads to the scarcity of bamboos, making pandas have nowhere to go for a new supply, hence their habitat becomes too small for them to survive.

Pandas are the rarest type of bears. Today, there is an estimated number of only 700 panda bears in the wild and 200 in zoos.In order to save the giant panda, millions of dollars need to be spents to establish wildlife reserves, relocate people currently living in these reserves, educate the public about wildlife conservation, stop poachers and plant more bamboo. Fortunately, many people around the world are concerned about the giant panda's future. Educating people around the world about the giant panda's extinction has begun to pay off and many are starting to realise that one of their favourite zoo animals may not be here for their grand children to enjoy unless they do something.