Silver Ounce 2016 Giant Panda, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Many of these feature various animals.

This coin is part of the Endangered Species series by the New Zealand Mint and features the Giant Panda.

The Mint says about it:
"The seventh release in the Endangered Species coin collection features one of the rarest of the bear family, the Giant Panda. This peaceful creature with its distinctive black and white coat is found in high altitude forests in the mountains of central China and fewer than 1,000 are believed to exist.

Pandas generally eat in a relaxed, seated posture. While they may appear sedentary, they are skilled tree-climbers and efficient swimmers for their size. Solitary by nature, Giant Pandas have a highly developed sense of smell that can be used to avoid a rivals territory or find the opposite sex during mating season. At birth, a cub will weigh only 125 g, around 1/900th the weight of its mother.

While statistics are hard come by due to this animal’s private nature, less than 1,000 Giant Pandas are now left in the wild. Urban development has increasingly fragmented and isolated populations, all the while reducing the Panda’s access to food sources. Poaching remains an ever present threat. While over 50 Panda reserves have been established, this only protects around 61% of the total population."