The Future of the Giant Panda

A recent survey of over 600 wildlife protection scientists , by the University of York, came to the conclusion that it’s time to consider giving up on conservation, including that of the Giant Panda. They believe resources should be geared towards animals that can be realistically saved. The truth is that Giant Pandas realistically wouldn’t survive in the wild and so the vast majority are destined for a lifetime in a reserve or a zoo.  Just as we make drastic attempts to try to save these animals, it is also human actions that are speeding up the process of extinction. As we put further pressure on their habitats, there is no way they could survive on their own. And in fairness, pandas don’t do a great job of looking out for themselves – they are notoriously bad at breeding, mothers find it hard to rear their cubs and they eat a very fussy diet of specific-bamboo (despite being carnivores) and need about 14kg of it a day.

Whilst conservation “triage” is considered to be a highly controversial idea, many believe there is now a need to take it seriously: given the scale of the extinction crisis across the world as a result of climate change, a growing human population and the loss of natural habitats. However, it brings about a real moral dilemma: how do you make judgments about species at the expense of another? Equally, how do you justify spending millions on just one celebrated species? It seems that the idea of triage has previously been hampered by our anthropomorphic feelings and the emblematic role the Giant Panda plays, rather than having a scientific discussion.

The love for the panda dates back as far as the era of Emperor Wen in the second century B.C. when a panda skull was buried with the ruler’s mother – the panda was seen to be a noble creature. Ron Swaisgod, a scientist at San Diego zoo says that our love of pandas is because they remind us of ourselves. They eat sitting up and use their hands to handle their food with incredible dexterity. They have very distinctive eyes and their eye patches make their eyes look even bigger. According to Swaisgood, ‘our own young have characteristics that we humans respond to such as a big, round head, large eyes, a high forehead and a roly-poly body. We are programmed to respond to these babyish looks.’

It is no wonder then that since 1961 the Giant Panda has been used as the iconic symbol of the World Wildlife Fund, but has also been more recently relentlessly used as a marketing ploy. The black and white creature has been used to sell everything from sweets to kids to cigarettes in China. And most recently, the bear has been cartoonised, Americanised and given a starring role in the Kung Fu Panda movies (along with all of the associated paraphernalia). Edinburgh Zoo was in discussions for over five years trying to secure the deal for the loan of two pandas – Tian Tian and Yang Guang – and visitor numbers are expected to soar. A special Scottish tartan (along with over forty other products) has even been commissioned for the pandas’ arrival.

So, it doesn’t seem like our love of the panda is facing extinction. It seems like the decision on the future of the Giant Panda will be more than just a scientific one. It will be motivated by our hearts – and also by our wallets.

 

    This entry was posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 at 11:49 pm. It is filed under China, Tourism and tagged with , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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