Giant Pandas

Ben Tsai

Ben Estes

April 12, 2011

Giant Pandas

With a vast history dating back over 5000 years in the past, China established itself as the world’s cultural hotspot for its abundant history and new-age innovations. Over time, China has developed many stereotypes that are associated with its culture. These stereotypes generally pertain to Chinese food, clothes, mannerisms, and regular customs and traditions. In addition to these stereotypes, one of the most prominent aspects of Chinese culture if not the most well-known is the giant panda. The giant panda is native of China and is characterized by its mix of black and white fur with an emphasized patch of black fur around its eyes. The giant panda is an icon of China and is therefore considered one of China’s most unique aspects. Though the Chinese hail these generally docile creatures with unparalleled reverence, pandas have become an endangered species. An abhorrent amount of illicit activity including the capture and trade of these creatures has occurred over the past decades. Only recently has China taken notice of these events and responded with measures to preserve the Chinese icon, although these methods were generally negligible or fruitless. Clearly, China must take a new initiative not only to preserve the very few pandas that reside in the wild, but must also work to repopulate their species. Luckily, the Chinese do not need to take all this responsibility upon them: researchers in the United States have taken priority to repopulating the panda population. Despite this, however, it is crucial for China to raise general public interest in this matter; otherwise it would be extremely difficult if not inconceivable to make significant progress towards preserving the panda population. However, people need only acknowledge that there is an impending crisis for the giant panda population in order to help, and it is hoped that society will eventually reach the point where everyone does their part.

As mentioned before, Chinese culture entails a lot of things: food, clothing, and mannerisms. In addition, the panda is crucial to the image of the Chinese for several reasons, one of which is very obvious: pandas are native to China¹. In other words, pandas are found no place else in the entire world. By name the panda bear is associated with China, but at the same time its name is ironic and misleading: though some consider the panda a bear, many other studies claim that the panda is more closely related to a raccoon². Despite the panda bears unclear identity as an animal, however, it is unanimously thought that the giant panda is an established national treasure of China. This makes China unique in the sense that only the Chinese can call the panda their own, and as such, the panda is a symbol representing Chinese integrity and authenticity. Over time the panda bear was integrated into Chinese popular culture in the form of cartoon characters, vivid art and even traditional engravings carved into walls, pots and other things³. Today, a lot of cartoon shows and modern art encompass the panda bear still. The panda bear’s niche in Chinese society is invaluable.

Despite its value to the Chinese, the giant panda’s dwindling population would insinuate that the Chinese do not hold panda preservation in high regard. Though the preservation of endangered species of animals like and especially the panda bear would fall upon the responsibility of the government and other professional entities, it is also every individual’s responsibility to notice this and to do something about it. It is the lack of awareness in Chinese society that has allowed illegal poaching to go on virtually unnoticed and insufficiently dealt with. In efforts to reduce poaching, the Chinese legislation implemented a law preserving rare and endangered wildlife⁶. But even though the government amended the Chinese Constitution, the government cannot continue to prioritize the panda population over other social issues. As a result, the enforcement of these laws is difficult to maintain. Thankfully, outside research has been conducted specifically for this cause by people around the world who have realized the importance of the panda bear to China and understand the very real danger that pandas face.

Despite the incredible decline of the panda population, numbers indicate that the poaching of pandas has decreased in recent years⁴. The combined efforts from research and biodiversity-preserving activist groups had some gradual effect on preserving the panda species. One of the most effective strategies to both protect and populate pandas, conducted by researchers at the Smithsonian Institute, has been to transfer pandas who are in danger in the wild and create an artificial environment for those pandas for them to live and breed. These areas are enclosed to protect the pandas from poachers and at the same time recreate their natural surroundings. New and improved technology has been able to recreate the forest-esque habitat that pandas generally live in and even implement similar humidity in that environment. After creating a familiar home, which stretches for acres, pandas are brought in from the wild and allowed time to become accustomed to their new home. Eventually, when the mating season arrives and the pandas’ urges are evident, one male and one female will be prompted to mate with each other if they are not naturally drawn to each other. If contraception does not occur or the pandas do not feel compatible with the only available partners, scientists have derived other methods to impregnate the female, such as a transfer of sperm from the male to the female through a needle. ⁵ Despite this effective method, there is no practicality in repopulating an entire species one by one. The idea that the Smithsonian researchers’ have is not to force every panda couple to mate, but to have given them a “jump start” in order to naturally flow into repopulating them on their own.

Research has brought a realistic approach to repopulating the panda population, however with the very few facilities and funds available, it is not sensible to say pandas will flourish in China soon. That is why people in and beyond the borders of China need to take initiative to collect funds and spread news of the panda crisis at hand, or else the panda population will continue to suffer. The world needs to collectively act in order to save these cute, cuddly creatures.

^1,2,3,5 Source #1; ⁴ Source #3 ; ⁶ Source #4