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The Last Panda
About this book
Dependent on a shrinking supply of bamboo, hunted mercilessly for its pelt, and hostage to profiteering schemes once in captivity, the panda is on the brink of extinction. Here, acclaimed naturalist George Schaller uses his great evocative powers, and the insight gained by four and a half years in the forests of the Wolong and Tangjiahe panda reserves, to document the plight of these mysterious creatures and to awaken the human compassion urgently needed to save them.
"No scientist is better at letting the rest of us in on just how the natural world works; no poet sees the world with greater clarity or writes about it with more grace. . . . Anyone who genuinely cares for wildlife cannot help being grateful to Schallerâboth for his efforts to understand the panda and for the candor with which he reports what has gone so badly wrong in the struggle to save it from extinction."âGeoffrey C. Ward, New York Times Book Review
"Schaller's book is a unique mix of natural history and the politics of conservation, and it makes for compelling reading. . . . Having been in giant panda country myself, I found some of the descriptions of the animals and habitats breathtaking. Schaller describes the daily routines and personalities of the giant pandas he studied (as well as their fates thereafter) as though they were his blood relatives. . . . Schaller's brilliant presentation of the complexities of conservation makes his book a milestone for the conservation movement."âDevra G. Kleiman, Washington Post Book World
"George Schaller's most soulful work, written in journal style with many asides about a creature who evolved only two to three million years ago (about the same time as humans). . . . Here, conservation biology confronts an evil that grinds against hope and shatters the planet's diversity. Written with hope."âWhole Earth Catalog
"A nicely crafted blend of wildlife observation and political-cultural analysis. . . . The Last Panda is a sad chronicle of our failure, so far, to stem the decline of the animal that may be the most beloved on the planet."âDonald Dale Jackson, Smithsonian
"No scientist is better at letting the rest of us in on just how the natural world works; no poet sees the world with greater clarity or writes about it with more grace. . . . Anyone who genuinely cares for wildlife cannot help being grateful to Schallerâboth for his efforts to understand the panda and for the candor with which he reports what has gone so badly wrong in the struggle to save it from extinction."âGeoffrey C. Ward, New York Times Book Review
"Schaller's book is a unique mix of natural history and the politics of conservation, and it makes for compelling reading. . . . Having been in giant panda country myself, I found some of the descriptions of the animals and habitats breathtaking. Schaller describes the daily routines and personalities of the giant pandas he studied (as well as their fates thereafter) as though they were his blood relatives. . . . Schaller's brilliant presentation of the complexities of conservation makes his book a milestone for the conservation movement."âDevra G. Kleiman, Washington Post Book World
"George Schaller's most soulful work, written in journal style with many asides about a creature who evolved only two to three million years ago (about the same time as humans). . . . Here, conservation biology confronts an evil that grinds against hope and shatters the planet's diversity. Written with hope."âWhole Earth Catalog
"A nicely crafted blend of wildlife observation and political-cultural analysis. . . . The Last Panda is a sad chronicle of our failure, so far, to stem the decline of the animal that may be the most beloved on the planet."âDonald Dale Jackson, Smithsonian
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Yes, you can access The Last Panda by George B. Schaller in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Zoology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Publisher
University of Chicago PressYear
1994Print ISBN
9780226736297, 9780226736280eBook ISBN
9780226112084Table of contents
- Cover
- Copyright
- Title Page
- Praise Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Epigraph
- Preface
- Prologue
- 1. âEvery Journey Begins with the First Stepâ
- 2. Winter Days
- 3. Panda Politics
- 4. A Footnote to History
- 5. A Mountain of Treasure
- 6. In the Hollow of a Fir
- 7. Wei-Weiâs World
- 8. Death in the Choushuigou
- 9. Travels in Panda Country
- 10. Zhen-Zhen Eats Bitterness
- 11. Tangjiahe
- 12. Crisis
- 13. Prisoners of Fate
- 14. Rent-a-Panda
- Epilogue
- Appendices
- B. The Panda Is a Panda
- C. Winter Birds Observed at Wuyipeng
- D. Excerpts from the 1989 Panda Management Plan
- E. Excerpts from Position Statements on Exhibition Loans of Giant Pandas
- Afterword
- Selected Reading
- Index of Names
- Index of Species and Subjects
- Color plates