Read the following passage and choose the word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

Endangered Pandas
The giant panda is one of the most lovable animals in the world. With its funny face, its playful actions and almost human-like way of eating, it is easy to understand why we find the giant panda so appealing. The western world has been captivated by the giant panda ever ___(1)___ ______ it first learned of it from Père Armand David, ___(2)___ _____was one of the first researchers to study China’s wildlife. Today, the giant panda is the world’s favourite bear. WWF has been using it as its emblem for the past forty-six years. ___(3)________time it is reported that the giant panda is on the verge of extinction, there is ___(4)_________ concern. According to scientists, only about sixteen hundred giant pandas remain in the world. Their numbers have been ___(5)________ rapidly due to habitat loss and poaching. Unfortunately, the mountain forests of South-Weat China where the giant panda lives provide local populations with wood for fuel and building houses, and land to grow food. Competition between humans and the giant panda for the forests’ limited resources has forced the panda into smaller and smaller pockets of land.