Readers’ wildlife photos

October 16, 2014 • 3:12 am

It must have been about a decade ago that I visited the Chengdu Panda Research Center as a treat when I lectured on evolution at Chengdu University in China. At that time there weren’t many giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) onsite, but they let me reach into the cage and pet a sleeping panda through the bars. (Note: NOT AS GOOD AS HOLDING A BABY FELID!) Reader Alexas Skukas recounts his recent visit to the center, with cute pictures, of course.

My work took me to China over the course of the last two weeks and I had the good fortune of being able to spend a little time one afternoon at the Chengdu Panda Research Center.  I think it may have been about ten years since you last visited, but the place is going strong. The day I was there was cloudy and cool – and the pandas were out en masse.  My colleague who lives in Chengdu said he hadn’t seen so many out at one time.

The most memorable moment was a quiet one that did not involve the excited squealing of tourists upon seeing the panda cubs.  Instead it was a touching scene of one of the workers sitting next to a juvenile panda and showing the panda how to open the bamboo stalks.  The panda would watch intently, then gently take the stalk from the young lady’s hand.  She talked quietly to the panda – a clear bond existing between the two.

And then, of course, there were the baby pandas, every tiny movement of which produced all sorts of cooing from the audience.  Chengdu has so many extra cubs lying around that they store them in plastic bins in case they need a spare one.  And when they do get a crib, they have to share.

I hope the attached few pictures bring back fond memories.

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A panda learning to open bamboo:

Panda learning~

 

16 thoughts on “Readers’ wildlife photos”

    1. This makes me think of the philosophical question, do we concentrate on iconic or ‘cuddly’ species ergo mammals, rather than other less pretty species or environments.

      What do others think?

      1. There was an interesting discussion on this very point on an episode of The Infinite Monkey Cage (Brian Cox, Robin Ince et al).

        The conclusion was (if I recall correctly) that everybody wins: people give money to the cute panda, and the wildlife programs then have increased funds that they can distribute among a much more diverse bunch of deserving recipients.

        You can listen / download here:
        http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lpbzy

      2. I heard Jane Goodall talk about this. She said that if you get people to give money to save Pandas, that has a trickle down effect of preserving the pandas’ environment so the whole ecosystem, including the creepy crawlies, are protected.

        What I remember clearly from that interview is that she also asked if we were to ask the animals which species we should exterminate, what do you think they would say — of course, it is humans who would go.

        1. Thank you both. There is a book “Do We Need Pandas?: The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity” by Ken Thompson that I should probably read…

        2. The rats, cockroaches, and squirrels might be okay with us. Canis lupus familiaris and felis catus probably are too: their numbers are probably higher with us than they would be without us. The rabbits would thank us for giving them Australia (repeat for other successful invasive species humans have introduced into ecosystems).

          For some other animals, it would be a bit of a hobson’s choice. We are a predator and killer, but remove us, and the predators we’ve essentially eliminated come back. Hey deer, which would you prefer to kill and eat you: humans, or wolves?

          And I think a large portion of the earth’s biomass just wouldn’t care. “Humans? What are they?” say the ants, plankton, etc…

      3. We had a similar philosophical dispute at work the other day. Can ‘a badger’ only mean a flesh and blood mammal badger, or can it also mean a cuddly toy model of one?

        Its all top notch philosophy at our place I tell you.

      4. Mammals rule. Our priorities should always be

        1) cute mammals
        2) non-cute mammals
        3) other vertebrates
        4) invertebrates

        Its all about Class solidarity.

  2. Pandas are so cute but can they be bitey? They are, after all, bears.

    I think it is so fascinating to observe animals learning from us. When I teach my dog the name of a new toy, she looks at the toy very intently as I repeat the name of it. I often wonder about mirror neurons in non-human animals and that leads me to wonder about empathy in those same animals since mirror neurons are thought to help humans learn and also allow us to feel empathy.

    1. Diana,

      I once went to Wolong (in the same province as Chengdu, and the site of a panda refuge till a disastrous earthquake destroyed it), which lies in the foothills of the Himalayas. I met a guide who’d been mauled by an adult panda, so you’re right – pandas can be ‘bitey’.

      I’m not convinced about mirror neurons being the ’cause’ of empathy. It’s a good story, but verifiable evidence supporting the supposition is definitely lacking.

    2. When I teach my dog the name of a new toy, she looks at the toy very intently as I repeat the name of it.

      The same thing happens with me and my cat. But usually I’m the one looking intently, while she repeatedly meows.

  4. 🙂 Chengdu University or a university in Chengdu? The university name could be different. No wonder someone seems know Sichuan food quite well.:)). Panda is not a bear if I remember it right.

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