Latest News:  

English>>China Society

Panda in her sights

By Mark Graham  (China Daily)

09:10, April 28, 2013

Sarah Bexell first went to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in 1999 and returns for long spells every year to observe pandas at close quarters. She Yi / for China Daily

The life of these giant creatures is not as clear-cut as many people think, the co-author of a new book on the animals tells Mark Graham.

Giant panda expert Sarah Bexell sets out to debunk a few myths about China's most iconic animal in a new book, including the general perception that they are lazy and sexually shy.

The American is the co-author of Giant Pandas, Born Survivors, a serious but highly entertaining work on the severely endangered species. It is a joint project with Zhang Zhihe, director of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, who has a spectacular library of panda images, many of them showcased for the first time in the book.

Bexell first went to study pandas at the base almost 14 years ago and became totally mesmerized by the animals, returning for long spells every year to observe them at close quarters.

With her punchy text and Zhang's fabulous photographs, Giant Pandas, Born Survivors, is likely to be the seminal English-language work on the fast-dwindling animals. The tome endeavors to set the record straight on panda-breeding habits, in captivity and in the wild, and help highlight how quickly the population is declining.

According to Bexell, the most recent census estimated there were some 1,600 animals left in the wild, mostly around the mountainous regions of Southwestern Sichuan province, with some 300 in captivity.

"The giant panda is a conservation icon," she says. "If we can't save pandas, what hope can we have for the world?"

Bexell first came to China to work with pandas in 1999 and fell in love with them.

"You get the chance to bond when you see them 10 hours a day, you start seeing what they are thinking and why they do what they do."

Bexell is serious and sincere about her work but she is far from being a stuffy scientist. In person she is jaunty and affable, with a loud and unaffected laugh. Her open personality is reflected in the book's text: Fascinating facts are presented in a chatty way, including a section devoted to the sex life of giant pandas.

【1】 【2】




Latest development of H7N9 in China[Special]


We Recommend:

Photo story: A father's naked love

China's weekly story (2013.4.8-4.12)

Photo story: Seize every minute to do homework

Li and Miao people in Sanyuesan Festival

University students make 7-square-meter home

Lesbian lovers seek blessings for their marriage

Things you may not know about the pharmacist

Young rangers patrol railway line

Waitresses wear bikini for promotion

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:HuangJin、Chen Lidan)

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Canadian submarine "Victoria"

  2. Army aviation base opens to U.S. officer

  3. Palestinian protesters clash with soldiers

  4. Shaolin monk doctors assist quake victims

  5. Heavy rain affects traffic in S China

  6. Meeting a telephone operator girl

  7. From ‘ivory tower' to gorgeous 'T stage'

  8. Brightly-colored fungi

  9. Show presents more than autos

  10. China's CAS to buy 60 Airbus planes

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. Why does U.S. officials visit China in succession?
  2. What does China’s development mean to world?
  3. Pioneers from the BRICS build new advantages as they go global
  4. Looking forward to higher level of Sino-French ties
  5. Domestic dairy firms have lost credibility
  6. Lax food hygiene leaves bad taste
  7. Urbanization to fuel China's economic growth

What’s happening in China

Heavy rain affects traffic in S China

  1. Top charitable donor list published
  2. RCSC denies re-opening Guo Meimei investigation
  3. 2,800 battling SW China forest fire
  4. China Post to issue quake relief stamp
  5. Lottery funds to be used for rural youth centers