Saving the giant panda from extinction – By Scott Pelley (CBS News) / Aug 9 2020
Scientists and veterinarians from China and America are working together to restore the giant panda population.
The Chinese call them “Xiongmao” meaning “bear that looks like a cat.” The adjective they use is “meng” which translates, “cute like a baby.” Until recently, the giant panda was on its way to extinction. But then, it was saved by its one evolutionary advantage – it’s adorable. In 2016, the panda’s conservation status was upgraded from endangered to just vulnerable. Because the giant panda is China’s national symbol, the Chinese have worked four decades to perfect breeding the bears in captivity. This past fall we first told you how they’ve achieved one of the biggest successes in conservation. But there is more work to do. The next step is introducing captive pandas into the wild. That research slowed after a few freed bears were found dead. And, as you are about to see, no Chinese scientist can afford to lose even one baby cute cat bear.
Giant pandas have been chewing bamboo for about 3 million years, but they were so elusive in the high mountains of China, pandas weren’t discovered by western naturalists until 1869.
ERIC KERCHNER/CBS NEWS
Today their fans know where to find them. Each morning humans compete for position at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Central China. A ticket is about eight bucks. Some days there are 100,000 visitors. So, yes, that’s $800,000 a day. But the experience is priceless. If these bears were in the wild, they’d be rare and solitary. They would be in alpine forests as high as 13,000 feet and we saw, about 30 feet up, how they went unnoticed for so long.
At the research base, each bear is known by name, liked online and wrapped in the flag. A selfie with China’s national symbol, is a tap of patriotism.
Continue to article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/giant-pandas-saving-the-giant-panda-from-extinction-60-minutes-2020-08-09/
