I have a wildlife zoo

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Fang Ye said, "The plight facing giant pandas at the time was far more complex than simply not having bamboo to eat due to its flowering and nearly starving to death.

After investigators went on surveys, they discovered over twenty thousand animal traps in one area.

Even though pandas don't have much in the way of food or medicinal value, making poaching of giant pandas not too severe, the animal traps set for other animals would catch giant pandas just the same. A slightest misstep could result in their legs being snapped, and in more serious cases, death.

Moreover, back then, public awareness of ecological protection was generally very weak. Some county leaders even argued, 'When people are starving, why should we protect giant pandas?'

In some villagers' homes, over four hundred giant panda pelts were confiscated, along with some golden hair monkey skins."

"Damn!"

The tourists around gasped in shock.

Four hundred giant panda pelts, what's the current population of wild giant pandas? Only about a thousand, right?

With so many panda pelts, one could imagine just how dangerous their situation was back then.

"Of course, there were still some kind-hearted villagers who lived off the land, adhering to the simple wisdom handed down from their ancestors about sustainable development, although that term wasn't used back then.

When pandas came to their homes seeking help, they would provide food for them. Back then, the nature reserves had no convenient paths for walking, and outside workers were unfamiliar with the terrain. When they ventured into the mountains to search for giant pandas, the villagers would take the initiative to lead the way, and some even directly rescued giant pandas on the front lines, carrying critically endangered pandas out."

Fang Ye said, "Animal traps were actually not the main factor, the key issue was the loss and fragmentation of habitat!

Previously, I mentioned pandas are not afraid of bamboo flowering, but this stands true only if their habitat is intact.

Road construction, forest cutting, agricultural cultivation, and dam building, the panda's habitats have been sectioned off into small patches, like a series of isolated islands.

In the past, if the bamboo in one mountain bloomed, they could move to another. Now because of roads or farmland, logging blocking the way, they can only wait to starve to death.

This brings us to a person, Professor Pan.

At that time, everyone thought that because the bamboo was flowering, the pandas would starve to death and perhaps all these wild pandas had to be captured for breeding in captivity to save them. The country planned to establish thirteen breeding centers and captured quite a few pandas.

But after Professor Pan's investigation and research, it was found that although a large number of bamboos died, it wasn't to the extent that would lead to the pandas starving to death. Photos of dead giant pandas were also from areas where no bamboo flowering occurred.

Despite the pressure, he submitted his research report, expressing strong opposition to breeding wild pandas in captivity, as doing so would only destroy the population structure of wild pandas and might even cause them to stop reproducing.

Because of the detailed content of the report, the plan for the breeding centers was halted. One could say that he saved the fate of the panda species with his own efforts."

Liu Xueqing listened with a feeling of awe!

Just thinking of all the giant pandas being captured and kept in captivity, she felt the severity of the consequences.

The crested ibis in Japan serves as a warning. The last few individuals were captured, and as a result, they failed to breed successfully and went extinct.

Giant pandas have strong reproductive abilities in the wild, but in captivity, they all become sexually indifferent.

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"In the '80s, the deforestation, especially in the '90s when the national timber market opened up, led to people cutting down more trees in hopes of getting rich, and the survival of pandas was greatly threatened. Fortunately, the establishment of nature reserves later on put a stop to the logging."

"Protecting animals and their habitats is fundamental, while captive breeding is merely a remedial measure."

"However, there is now a new threat. Overgrazing can also lead to animals eating bamboo, causing changes to the panda's habitat. Due to our increasing demand for meat and the rise in grazing, some areas have even seen a third of panda habitats degraded and vanished."

Fang Ye saw that everyone was deep in thought and continued, "When we talk about protecting animals, it's not enough to just study the animals and their environment; humans are also a crucial factor."

"It's not about protecting animals while ignoring human survival, but rather about changing the economic form of the protected areas as much as possible. We need to find alternative economies that benefit both the residents and the environment. The best protection comes when the community is involved."

"Take, for example, the Angsai Valley of the Cats in Qinghai, where herders' livestock are preyed upon by snow leopards. The reserve hires herders as environmental monitors to set up infrared cameras in the mountains, monitoring the snow leopard's activities, providing data for research, while also developing ecological tours. Experienced herders guide tourists to see snow leopards."

"In the Guanba area of Sichuan, the economy used to rely on logging and hunting, leading to a deteriorating environment. Now, they're trying beekeeping instead of logging, and as the environment improves, various rare animals are returning. The number of local specialty cold-water fish has increased, and so has the income."

"Let me tell you a story about Professor Pan."

"After concluding his study of wild pandas in the Qinling in '96, he turned his attention to the golden-headed langur in Guangxi."

"At that time, the natural environment here was also greatly damaged, with fewer than a hundred golden-headed langurs remaining."

"Professor Pan found that locals had the habit of cutting trees for firewood to cook. Many households had yards piled high with firewood, and with land development at saturation, the annual demand for firewood far surpassed the natural growth rate of the trees."

"If this trend were to continue, not only would the number of trees keep declining, but the survival of the golden-headed langur would face even greater difficulties. The environment would become more hostile, and the local people would become increasingly impoverished."

"So, Professor Pan thought hard and decided that to protect the golden-headed langur, he first had to ensure that locals could cook without cutting down trees."

"He initially dug into his own pocket for 1,500 yuan to help two families convert to biogas, but due to lack of experience and insufficient funds, the results weren't ideal."

"Later he received a 100,000-yuan prize, which he used entirely to construct biogas digesters in the village."

"After putting up notices to buy cow manure, every household rushed to deliver it, quickly realizing the benefits of biogas. Then the Ministry of Agriculture contributed funding, and biogas pools were built in over a dozen surrounding villages. From then on, the centuries-old habit of chopping wood for cooking amongst the local villagers was changed."

"When Professor Pan inquired, the villagers all said they wouldn't chop trees anymore. Using biogas was much more convenient, and cutting trees was like slaughtering a piglet—it was a last resort due to poverty."

"No longer needing to traverse mountains to cut trees, the villagers had time for other pursuits. They began growing sugarcane in the fields. From being very poor, their income had increased, and their standard of living had significantly improved."

"The local vegetation gradually recovered, and more trees meant a larger range for the golden-headed langur, with the population steadily increasing. Now, the total number has reached about 1,000."

The tourists, utterly engrossed, began to praise the story!

"Amazing!"

"Such a remarkable scientist, truly unparalleled in the nation!"

"Being responsible to animals is in itself being responsible to humans. Harmonious coexistence with nature is what we seek."