adopt a giant panda from the sandiego zoo.

little background info: Due to human encroachment and loss of habitat,giant pandas in the wild currently exist in a series of fragmented subpopulations, some numbering as few as 20 individuals, making it imperative to know more about issues related to gene flow and diversity, the design of intermediate corridors, and the impact of limited resources.

In order to address this dire situation, San Diego Zoo researchers have launched an in-country conservation program aimed at conducting long-term research on the conservation behavior and ecology of giant pandas in China. In order to benefit panda conservation, it is important for scientists to study the mating strategies of pandas. Researchers are working to figure out just how many male pandas win the opportunity to mate. If few males get to mate because of male-male competition or female choice, then there are greater risks to the long-term genetic health of the population. If most males fail to pass on their genes, then small populations isolated on mountaintops may suffer from inbreeding and lack of genetic diversity.

Researchers are also hoping to learn all they can about panda dispersal (when the young move long distances and set up a new home area elsewhere). Dispersal strategies affect the genetics of populations and determine whether reserve size and shape are sufficient to accommodate normal dispersal. Researchers are working to measure the distances that dispersing pandas move and why they decide to settle at some sites and not others. They are also working to determine which habitats wild pandas are willing to traverse in order to disperse. Answers to these questions are instrumental for determining the degree of gene flow through a network of isolated reserves, whether or not pandas will use habitat corridors, and what cues must to be present (or placed by managers) to encourage settlement in suitable habitat.

Another pressing conservation need is knowledge about panda denning ecology. In many reserves, old-growth trees have been logged and the remaining trees are too small to support a den in which pandas can give birth. San Diego Zoo researchers aim to study the relationship between availability of suitable den sites and panda population growth. They are working to determine which cavity and microhabitat characteristics determine whether a female will use a potential den, and whether, in a time of crisis, it is possible to build artificial dens in order to help mothers raise cubs successfully.

Scientists are working to address questions that have direct application to conservation management—those involving genetic diversity, localized extinctions, limiting resources, carrying capacity, reserve design, and identifying the need for direct intervention in small populations requiring semi-intensive management. To successfully manage reserves and panda populations in the wild, scientific knowledge is absolutely imperative!

here's the link: https://www.sandiegozoo.org/sl/wishlist/projectdonation.cfm