Humans unfortunately weren't the only ones who suffered greatly when an earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people (at last count) struck China one month ago. We already know one of the giant pandas living in Wolong National Park died, another is still missing and the rest are adjusting to the changes resulting from damage to their reserve.

However beyond the reserve in a wild corner of China, the majority of the world's surviving population of giant pandas lives. Of the 1,590 pandas still living in the wild, 1,400 were in the hard hit area of Sichuan when the earthquake hit.

"The dense forests covering these places have now turned into bare land," Yan Xun, a State Forestry Administration Official, was quoted as saying. "Landslides and forestry destruction pose severe threats to the lives of the surviving pandas."

"It is still too dangerous for our staff to go into the field. When conditions allow, we will search the area and see if there are injured pandas that need help," Yan said.

The worst effects of the earthquake are expected to be collapsed caves and tree hollows where the pandas lived, polluted drinking water and blocked paths to food sources.

» Reuters