The Beauty of the Beast No animal has made a more powerful impression on humanity in so little time. In the West and even in its native China, the giant panda has been part of popular culture for less than a century. In North America, few had even seen a live panda before 1936, when one was exhibited at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. But only a few decades later, the black-and-white bear had become the most beloved animal in the world, and an emblem of all endangered species. According to George Schaller, the first Western scientist to study them, "There are two giant pandas: the one that exists in our mind and the one that lives in its wilderness home." It's true. Wild pandas are unimpressive in size and speed. They're unsociable and spend almost all their time eating, sleeping and defecating. Yet many people look into the panda's round face with those expressive eyes, and declare it the most intriguing and loveable of creatures. The giant panda has charmed us with its simple, unique beauty. But this beauty is fragile. Three million years ago, the panda's range extended throughout much of eastern China and into Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Vietman. Today, with just over 1,000 remaining in the wild, the giant panda is one of the rarest of mammals, scratching out a living in a country of more than a billion people. If current trends continue -- especially the destruction of its habitat -- stuffed toys may be all that future generations will have left of these real-life teddy bears. Fortunately, the Chinese -- with the help of dedicated scientists and conservationists around the world -- are beginning to reverse these trends. Excerpted from Panda Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife by Dan Bortolotti All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
