Seven Endangered Species You Can Still See in the Wild

by Kraig Becker on

There is no doubt that we are fascinated with wildlife. We love to watch diverse and interesting animals, preferably in their natural habitats, and we’re often willing to travel to remote places, sometimes at great expense, to see them. If you enjoy the kind of travel that allows for these kinds of animal encounters, they you’ll want to check out BootsnAll’s list of the Seven Endangered Species You Can Find Outside a Zoo.

The article not only lists the creatures, it also gives us the best locations to go and see them for ourselves, including some brief insights into what to expect out of the journey. For instance, if you want to see polar bears in the wild, you can expect a long flight, or 40-hour train ride, to Churchill, Canada, on the famed Hudson Bay, where every October and November, the bears gather, waiting for the bay to freeze so they can continue on northward. The other creatures, and locations that can be found, include: sea turtles in Barbados, tigers in India, rhinos in Tanzania, elephants in South Africa, pandas in China, and gray whales in Mexico.

As the article points out, in the era of ecotourism, these trips to see these rare animals can be a force for good. Conservation efforts can receive funding from our visits and an increased awareness about the plight of the animals helps to prevent poaching and protect natural habitats as well. Just be sure to travel with a reputable guide service and make sure you pack out everything you pack in.

So did they leave anything off the list? I was a bit surprised to not see the mountain gorillas that we wrote about last week, on there. They’d certainly make my top list. What’s on yours?

Note to readers – a Panda is not always a cute and cuddly animal

by Scott Carmichael on

Panda news pops up all the time here on Gadling, but I don’t recall us ever warning you about the dangers of the oh-so-cute looking creatures.

28 year old Zhang Jiao can tell you all about it. When trying to recover a childrens toy dropped into the panda pen at Beijing Zoo, Mr. Jiao was attacked by Gu Gu.

The article then confirms just how much the Chinese love their panda, as Mr. Jiao told reporters that he did not fight back when the panda was chewing up his leg, because “the panda is a national treasure and I love and respect him”.

Like most people, Zhang assumed pandas were cute and cuddly creatures that sit under a tree all day chewing on bamboo. Leg is not usually on their menu.

This is the third time Gu Gu went on the attack. Last year, a 15 year old boy was attacked when he climbed into the panda pen, and a year earlier, a drunk tourist thought it would be cool to jump into the pen and hug the animal. When the panda bit him, he tried biting back.

Mr. Jiao may face charges for entering the panda pen, but the three accidents have finally prompted zoo officials to consider some new measures to keep tourists away from Gu Gu.

Naturally, Pandas in the wild, or those in a reserve can be a little cuter, and for $100 you may even be able to get up close and personal with one. Just be sure to leave them alone when you encounter one at the zoo (remember, the same advise also applies to tigers).

(Via: CNN.com)

Japan needs a panda

by Jamie Rhein on

A beloved treasure of the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo died yesterday. Ling Ling, the panda who became an ambassador of goodwill of sorts, and a world traveler looking for a mate had heart failure. In human years, Ling Ling was 70. In panda years, 22.

Now the zoo is without a panda, and Ling Ling was without offspring. He was flown to Mexico three times to give him a chance to procreate. He also spent spent some time in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C according to this Smithsonian magazine article, I found. Most importantly, he was part of the peace agreement with China in 1972. People in Tokyo are broken up over the news and are leaving flowers and notes at Ling Ling’s cage.

The Ueno Zoo is hoping to get pandas on loan at least. Unfortunatly, it’s not like there are many pandas to go around–only 1,600 of them live outside of zoos. Their native environment is in China in Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. [see AP article]

Devra G. Kleiman, the author of the Smithsonian article, spent a long time studying pandas, both in the wild and in zoos, and provides a detailed account of their habits and habitat, including mating habits which may explain why Ling Ling never got lucky in love with pandas. In people love, he hit pay dirt.

Send More Crap Back Home with Panda Poop Souvenirs

by Justin Glow on

A while back, Gadling covered a story about postcards in China made from recycled panda poop. The feces were gathered, presumably cleaned, and compressed into flat sheets of “paper” to be sold to tourists. The Chinese have stepped it up a bit and begun making souvenirs out of the cuddly bear’s dung. Fortunately, the pandas are herbivores, which keeps the little statues odor-free. Gosh, they’re awfully cute, I guess, but it’s still something that made its way through an animal’s digestive tract, and there’s something very wrong about that. Even so, it’s the perfect gift to give to someone who either has an unhealthy obsession with panda bears, or you don’t like very much.

One animals poop is another person’s Chinese keepsake. [via]