the geometric tortoise – another critically
endangered creature afforded little by
way of public understanding or interest.
When it comes to wildlife campaigns asking for
your cash, these species are unlikely to appear
in the advertisements. Couldn’t they do with
some of our cold hard cash too? The answer
is yes, of course they could.
A 2012 analysis by conservation scientist
Dr Robert Smith and colleagues highlighted just
how hard it is for many threatened species to get
the airtime they deserve. Of the 1,200 mammals
then threatened with extinction, just 80 species
were used by conservation organisations to
raise funds. And which species did they use?
Predictably, it was generally those creatures
that had large, forward-facing eyes.
This was a particularly depressing finding.
The message that reads loud and clear is that
we hold up a magnifying glass to nature, and see
only our own reflection in the glass. We buy cute
and always have – and the marketeers know it.
In this way, it is probably true to say that pandas
benefit from having a body that’s shaped like
a teddy bear. The Kurdistan newt just cannot
compete. But this is not the fault of pandas –
it’s the fault of humans for being so easily fooled.SAVE THE PANDA,
SAVE THE WORLD
At this point, let’s consider the argument from
the other way around. Why shouldn’t conservation
organisations use the marketing power of pandas
to further their worthy aims? What’s so bad about
cashing in on a beautiful bear if, by saving it,
we may save thousands of other species with
whom it lives in the wild?
For this reason, pandas and certain other
‘charismatic megafauna’ are often given special
value, because they can act as ‘umbrella species’.
The argument goes that if these animals are
protected, then so too are the other creatures
that live within their shared habitats. Looking
after a bear or a cheetah or tiger, for instance,
protects everything else – the spiders, birds,
lizards, mites and frogs – that may happen toABOVE:
Scientists don
costumes and
douse themselves
with panda pee
in an attempt to
prevent the
animals becoming
attached to
humans
FACING:
Zoologist
Desmond Morris
said that we love
pandas because
they’re playful,
appear to have
big eyes, and
look cuddly79