After all the depressing news we heard about the Sichuan earthquake, (for one, that more than 69.000 people died, for another that donated money goes to building museums and enriching local officials), it's nice to find someone who still tries to do some good out there. And what better way to help the world than to help cute animals?
Here's what happened: when the earthquake overturned houses and roads, the area's bamboo shoots were also buried in the rubble. And if you don't think that sounds like a serious problem, consider this: Pandas eat bamboo. Luckily the local government in Sichuan's Wolong area plans to "move residents out of Wolong and plant more bamboo".
"Wild pandas must store energy before moving to higher altitudes for
reproduction between March and July, but most of the bamboo plants in
their habitats were buried in the quake, making it difficult for wild
pandas to find food," said Zhang Hemin, director of the China Giant
Panda Protection and Research Center in the Wolong nature reserve, quoted in Shanghai Daily.
Well, we can understand why the lack of bamboo is a big deal, as the
reserve in Wolong holds about 10 percent of China's entire population of wild
pandas. We are also relived to hear that "captive pandas are expected
to recover from the trauma of the quake and give birth to more young
ones this year". This grim world sure needs more baby pandas.
Photo by Tostie14
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