Giant pandas no longer endangered species

Early this month, the keepers at Zoo Atlanta were focused on one job above all others: watching the giant panda Lun Lun. The 19-year-old bear was expecting twins, and panda pregnancies are famously difficult. Then, at 7:20am one Saturday, the first cub finally arrived. Forty-five minutes later, its twin followed. ‘We’re thrilled and relieved,’ said the zoo.

More good news was just around the corner. The next day, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that giant pandas have been taken off the official endangered species list. ‘The Chinese government’s efforts are effective,’ the report said. There are now over 2,000 pandas in the wild and in zoos across the globe.

It could be temporary; they are still ‘vulnerable’, and scientists warn that climate change could wipe out one third of their natural bamboo habitat in the next 80 years. But for now, conservationists can celebrate the fact that one of the world’s most popular endangered animals has been given a reprieve.

For less charismatic creatures, it is another story. Species are going extinct at around 1,000 times the natural rate. It is hard to know how many we are losing in real terms — scientists have a better idea of the number of stars in the sky than unique species on Earth — but estimates say between 24 to 200 die out every day. Few get the multi-million pound breeding programmes which helped Lun Lun.

Why do pandas get so much attention and not, say, arboreal alligator lizards? Zoologist Nathan Yaussy says the answer is obvious: we care most about the animals we find cute. It is ‘hard-wired’ into us: ‘the more baby-like an animal is, the more we want to save it.’ If they are useful to the economy or anthropomorphic, then so much the better.

But some ‘ugly’ creatures — like ants — are far more important to the environment, yet they receive less attention. Is it wrong to be so selective?

Zoo illogical

Yes, say some. It is wildly selfish to pay attention only to the fuzziest mammals with the widest eyes, while letting thousands of insects and reptiles disappear without a second thought. Are we really so narrow-minded that we can only care about the creatures we deem to be good looking, useful or ‘just like us’?

It’s not all bad, insists a senior director at the World Wildlife Fund (whose logo is, of course, a panda). Focusing on ‘flagship’ animals attracts attention to conservation projects, and saving them often means protecting their habitats. These are shared with any number of lesser-known species, which all get to reap the benefits. Others go even further: humans are the Earth’s most influential species. What’s wrong with shaping the world to suit us?