The Last Panda.

The Last Panda.

The author of the book “The Last Panda,” George B. Schaller, is an American conservationist, biologist, and mammologist. He is a recognized field biologist who has studied wildlife throughout Africa. His work in conservation has resulted in the protection of vast stretches of the Amazon forest. The author shows us how the distinction of the bamboo forest, which had been hunted for its pelt, has made the panda be on the brink of extinction. With the unique mix of nature, history, and politics of conservation, George Schaller describes the routines and personalities of the giant panda. The charming, gentle, and vulnerability of pandas make them highly endangered animals around china. In his book, George Schaller makes it clear that despite all the popularity surrounding the panda, the attention and acclaim do not aid in conserving the endangered species.

Blending in the cultural humility and scientific expertise, the author documents his long campaigns in china attributed to saving the panda with minimal or indifference successes. He shows how the Chinese nationalities pose a threat to natural habitats of the panda, especially the bamboo where the pandas live. Illegal poaching and habitat destruction remain to be a significant threat as more farmlands squeeze out the panda ranges. George Schaller blends his work of wildlife conservation and political, cultural analysis in his book. The traditional Chinese were resistant to taking into consideration his advice, and they barred him from accessing any data that could be of importance. He wrote in his book, “Both the Chinese and the pandas embody a blend of deceptive stoicism and warmth.” Finally, Schaller finds hope in the fact that convicted poachers of this indigenous species of animals would face a two-year jail term. The last panda is a sad chronicle that befalls the panda due to our human failures.

Several themes are presented in this piece of art. The book describes the natural world in that the panda is trying to fit in in continued dangerous habitats. This is a clear representation of the world we live in. Everyone is trying to fit in despite the changing times. Technology is evolving rapidly, and we have no choice but to fit in. This brings in the theory of survival for the fittest. Only the ones who can endure in the evolving world survive. In a world where modern technology has taken over, olden ways of doing things become extinct since they are not able to compete favorably.

Extinction

The extinction of the most endearing creatures in the animal kingdom is linked with the illegal poaching of the pandas. The panda is a beautiful animal, and its beauty makes it vulnerable to poaching. The panda is an attractive zoo animal and attracts tourists hence generating millions of dollars from tourists. The bamboo-crunching beasts are a lovely sight to watch. While these animals are caged, they do not always respond well to restricted environments as they would do in their natural habitats. As a result, the population of these animals gradually declines and may lead to their extinction. Generally, pandas are more vulnerable to extinction than any other wild animal due to their all-bamboo diet. If their habitats cease to exist, they will also be extinct. Lack of adaptive mechanisms by the pandas, unlike other scavengers, limit them to the dying off bamboo forests (Zang et al. 243). The author vividly describes how easy it is for a particular species of animals can become extinct with time if their natural habitats are not guarded and poaching reduced.

Habitat destruction.

The bamboo forest forms the natural habitat of the panda in the snow-blanketed mountains. The massive loss of forests in the quest for modern development became the leading cause of the disappearance of the species habitat. The book describes how continued hunt for the bamboo supply has held hostage of the schemes, and the panda is at the brink of extinction.  Human encroachment seemingly increased day by day. Having spent most of the time in the panda habitations carrying out his research, George Schaller had the account of how the bamboo forests were on the verge of becoming extinct. Human encroachment is the increased contact between the human populations and the animal population (Zhang et al. 1810). Humans tend to expand their sources of food and other developmental programs, and by so doing, they take up the natural habitats to some wild animals. Human encroachment became a significant threat and the leading cause of panda endangerment. In his book, Schaller accounted for the preservation of the panda by heading and coordinating the conservation measures in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund.

Human impact on the environment.

The human impact on the environment includes the changes in the ecosystems, natural resources, and biodiversity caused by human beings. Due to increased population growth and the need for modification of the situation to fit human needs, there has been a loss of biodiversity, causing severe effects on the environment. The conservative literature indicates the impact of social activities to the well-being of the pandas. The quest for creating more land for development in china leads to taking up forests. These are the natural habitations to wild animals, and thus their destruction leads to loss of biodiversity (Chapman 12).

Political considerations.

In his book, George Schaller accounts for the preservation of the panda with the help of the Chinese government. He headed the World Wildlife Fund panda project that was an initiative to save the endangered animal. He led the survey but encountered challenges in data collection as some of the traditional Chinese could not provide him with that data; he needed to pull off the study. The movement opened a political window in the quest to save the panda. The Chinese bureaucracy was more interested in capturing and breeding pandas for the “rent a panda” program. This was a program set up to earn money for panda research and projects to preserve the panda. The money made out of the program was also used to restore the degraded bamboo forests. The Chinese government also introduced panda diplomacy, where pandas were given out to other countries as diplomatic gifts. Though the panda is prone to human poaching, Schaller finds hope for them in his work. Convicted poachers would face a jail term of two years. He concludes by saying, “it is the difficult fate of this generation to finally grasp the magnitude of all the offenses against the panda and other forms of life.”

Conclusion.

The last panda is conservative literature concerned with the life of a panda, how they are endangered by human activities and measures to save them from extinction. George Schaller highlights that pandas are prone to poaching and necessary conservative means to be put in place before their disappearance. “Finally, as if in slow motion, we took pliers to unwind the snare from her neck and turned her over. There was milk in her swollen nipples. She had died at the height of life’s success; somewhere in the forest was an orphaned young about seven months old, still in need of milk, but with luck, it might survive on bamboo leaves. We tied her to a pole, and two men carried her down the mountain, one of her arms bobbing in rhythm to the steps.” Here the author uses imagery to describe the effect of poaching on the panda. His experiences with the panda are first hand on how the last panda was left to survive on its own after its mother died. The author was a biologist and conservationist who spend most of his time in the woods while writing his work. He got close enough to the panda to monitor its eating habits, relationship with other animals, and the skills it put in place to ensure its survival.  Human activities posed a significant threat to the survival of the panda. His work focused on the challenges facing the panda, which included extinction, habitat destruction, and dangerous human activities. He also gave an insight into the government’s initiative to save the panda. Morally, we could get close to the panda by protecting its habitats. This could be done by reducing the rate of encroachment. Minimal poaching of the panda could also be a way of getting close to a panda and saving these endangered creatures.

Work cited

Chapman, John. “Climatic and human impact on the environment? A question of scale.” Quaternary International 496 (2018): 3-13.

Zang, Zhenhua, et al. “Climate-induced spatial mismatch may intensify giant panda habitat loss and fragmentation.” Biological Conservation 241 (2020): 108392

Zhang, Yuke, et al. “An ecophysiological perspective on likely giant panda habitat responses to climate change.” Global change biology 24.4 (2018): 1804-1816.