"It is time to let the Panda go"

[karohemd]

Interesting viewpoint and I think quite valid as "survival of the fittest" applies here and the panda is, quite frankly, too stupidill adapted to survive. It would be entirely different if all it took was to conserve or expand his habitat.

I'd be interested to hear what my naturalist/conservationist friends think about this.

(thanks to raggedy_man for the link)

Comments

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

Actually in my first (or second?) year of Uni, in the Ecology & conservation class this was brought up by my lecturer ~ why bother. Also, if the statistics were correct 10 species had become exinct since breakfast (9am lecture) and could we name one. (no) also, with all the talk about mankind causing extinctions, could we name one of those without saying 'DoDo' (only 2 of us could: Stellar Sea Cow & Passenger Pigeon)

The panda is a dead end. However it is also a flagship animal. Cute fluffy/sexy animals get cash which preserves the habitat which means non-cute/sexy animals get to survive on that same patch of land.

Also, just because you may consider them a dead end that would have died out quite naturally some time back if they wern't so freaking fluffy and iconic doesn't mean you can't learn a lot about conservation by trying, learning and taking those lessons to other species. There isn't a clearer example of Animal+Habitat interlinking out there frankly.

So yeah. Panda are an expensive luxury item. But one that draws the crowds to pour their own money into 'saving animals' of which some can then go to saving animals with a real chance at a long term future.

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Oo! Oo! I know one: Yangtze River Dolphin. That's probably been in the news lately, but I was curious about it since reading "Last Chance to See" back in 1994. Ah, those crazy Latvians!