I want to start today by thanking my new followers and everyone else who supports what I write. Again it really means a lot to me, so please reblog and like whatever you read and help spread news on conservation.
On to the topic; the panda. Almost everyone knows about pandas so it’s pretty hard to pinpoint where to begin. They make their natural home in China at higher elevations, being driven out by humans from the lower parts where they once roamed. They are part of the bear family and usually live solitary lives and do not claim permenant dens, meaning that they don’t hibernate either. They are also odd in that, although they are classified as carnivorous, they have a mainly herbivorous diet consisting of just bamboo. This means that they need to eat a ton of bamboo in order to get some energy since their bodies can’t digest cellulose very well, unlike herbivores.
As far as conservation goes, this animals are making a comeback. There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 pandas in the wild as of 2006. Yet not everyone is excited about their increasing numbers. Christopher Gary Packham, a tv naturalist, argues that money is being wasted on the pandas because there is no where for them to live in the wild anyway. He says “The panda is possibly one of the grossest wastes of conservation money in the last half century. The panda is, unfortunately, virtually unsavable. It lives in the most overpopulated country in the world, it feeds on plants when it ought to be eating partially meat, it transfers all sorts of nasty diseases among itself, it tastes nice and it’s got a coat that looks good on someone’s back”. I can partially see where he’s coming from (although it could have been worded better) but I don’t believe that this means conservation should be stopped. Instead I think it just poses another challenge that can be overcome for not only the Pandas but also the human population. The rest of the article (which could be read here:http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22730796-30417,00.html) shows that Packham just wanted to get the point across that there are other animals that need our help. It’s a pretty interesting read with some good points, so check it out if you have time.
But like I said, humans have been able to conquer a variety of problems thrown at them. I’m pretty sure we can figure out a way to help these pandas permanently. I mean, through our help their numbers have already gone up, so who’s to say this can’t keep climbing? Obviously there’s the whole carrying capacity of an environment in effect here, but as long as we save a species from complete extinction, then I think we can count ourselves lucky.
If you want to read more about pandas and ways to help then check out these websites:
- http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/
- http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/GPConservationFund/default.cfm
- http://www.pandasinternational.org/
There’s even a volunteer abroad opportunity to volunteer at a panda sanctuary! If I wasn’t doing ISV I would definitely look deeper into this. You guys can see it here:
Thanks for reading everyone,
Danny
