PHOTO: GRIGORIJ RICHTERS/ASTEROID DAYPandas,
like this tiny,
three-month-
old cub, are
incredibly
difficult to
breed in
PHOTOS: GETTY X3 captivity
human interference. Ultimately, only the
creatures holding the umbrella may stay dry.
Pandas are one of them because, like it or lump it,
we value them more than most. It’s for this reason
that their fortunes are finally on the up.PANDAS WITH PURPOSE
Since the giant panda has been downgraded from
‘endangered’ to’ vulnerable’, I believe it has taken
on a new role. As well as offering glitz and
glamour, the panda is now one of the minority of
creatures that is being saved. It is a success story,
50 years in the making, and it has happened on
our watch. We should be much more proud of
pandas than we are – we need more success
stories like them.Pandas have quite clearly been overused
as a conservation character in recent decades.
But perhaps as audiences become more savvy
and questioning about the dreams they are
being sold, we will see new umbrella species
that come to dazzle us, and we’ll attain
a wider, deeper understanding of how
conservation really works.
I really hope so. For I can’t help but wonder
whether in the future it may not be us that
saves the panda, but the pandas that end up
saving us. If these much-loved bears can
encourage us to look after our ecosystems,
then we could make the world a healthier place
and improve our chances of survival.