After cutting the cake, the quiz activity began!
Guides were scattered throughout the venue, each surrounded by numerous visitors.
They first explained the game rules and then asked, "When you look at the pandas in our zoo, do they appear different from the black and white pandas you imagine, perhaps not as clean? Do you know why?"
Some visitors were puzzled, pondering the question, while others quickly raised their hands!
Liu Xueqing's eyes lit up; she knew the answer! She remembered hearing it from a guide during one of her visits.
However, she was a bit slow in raising her hand.
The guide glanced around and pointed to a girl in a yellow shirt who was waving her hand eagerly, smiling, "You in the yellow shirt, please answer!"
The girl, who had been eager to raise her hand, now started to think. After a moment, she answered, "It might be a personality thing! Just like humans, some pandas are cleaner, and some are messier. The pandas we see in photos are the clean ones."
The guide shook her head, "Nope~"
"Really?"
The girl wasn't too disappointed since she had guessed randomly.
A boy in a blue shirt said, "Maybe it's because pandas are too lazy to bathe?"
"That's not it either!"
"Huh?"
The boy scratched his head in confusion, clearly confident in his answer.
"Pandas can't lick their backs with their tongues!"
"Because the keepers don't give them baths!"
"Hahaha!"
The crowd burst into laughter at this answer.
Liu Xueqing answered, "Pandas having a bit of dirt on their fur is actually good for their health. It's a natural layer of protection that can block parasites! Being too clean can lower their immunity, so they aren't bathed frequently."
The guide smiled, "Correct answer! Here's a raffle ticket for you. Does anyone have anything to add?"
"Oh~"
"Clap, clap, clap~"
The surrounding visitors applauded.
An older man answered, "Because pandas in their natural state are like this. They roll around in the dirt, so they get dirty."
Some people thought this was an obvious answer, but the guide nodded, recognizing it as correct!
Everyone was quite surprised.
"Correct! Whether it's pandas, lions, or tigers, they don't live for humans. Being a bit dirty and covered in mud might not look good to us, but their natural state is their best state."
Ying Ying was by the glass wall, eating cake while watching the pandas intently. Her dad squatted down to hold her cake for her.
While others had small pieces, Ying Ying had a large piece with a complete panda-shaped cream decoration.
Because of Fang Ye's instructions, the volunteer had cut a larger piece for her.
There were quite a few people watching the pandas. After getting her raffle ticket, Liu Xueqing didn't rush back to Ying Ying and her dad but wandered around the panda exhibit alone!
She went to the upper level of the exhibit and suddenly heard a familiar melody.
A gentle, kind female voice was softly singing:
"Bamboo blossoms, oh, Mimi lies in her mother's arms counting stars.
Stars, oh stars, so beautiful, where will tomorrow's breakfast be?"
Hearing this song, Liu Xueqing felt transported back to her childhood!
When she was little, her mother used to sing this song to lull her to sleep. Now, she had her own children and elderly parents to care for.
She couldn't help but walk toward the direction of the song.
Fang Ye was surrounded by people, and he was the one playing the music.
Many older visitors had nostalgic expressions as they listened, some even humming along softly.
"Mimi, oh Mimi, please believe, we haven't forgotten you.
The high moon hangs in the sky, tomorrow's breakfast is in my heart."
This song was a beautiful memory for a generation.
Even young visitors who had never heard it before were captivated by the gentle, beautiful melody, listening quietly.
When the song ended, everyone sighed in admiration.
"Back then, bamboo blossoms starved many pandas. This song was created in that context!"
"Old public service songs were really good!"
"When I was little, my mom never explained it clearly. I thought the song was about a person. Poor Mimi. I only realized it was about a panda when I grew up."
"The first time I heard it, I cried."
Fang Ye smiled, "Everyone should have heard this song, right? If not, you must have heard the story of bamboo blossoms.
In the 1980s, many nature reserves experienced large-scale flowering and death of arrow bamboo, which was the main food source for giant pandas. This led to a food crisis for pandas, putting them in a life-threatening situation.
Stars, oh stars, so beautiful. At that time, countless wild pandas like 'Mimi' didn't know where their next meal was coming from.
The 'Emergency Report on Saving Giant Pandas' stated that due to the large-scale death of arrow bamboo, many pandas died. They found 138 panda carcasses during their investigation.
Rescue workers described starving pandas drinking water from rivers, many of them dying from it. Some starved pandas, near death, would go to villagers' homes and eat anything they could find, even sheep.
The reports caused a huge stir, sparking a massive panda rescue effort in China, with international support as well."
"Oh, how pitiful."
"Luckily, they were protected! Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to see these adorable pandas today."
Fang Ye continued, "However, the plight of the pandas at that time actually had little to do with bamboo blossoms!"
The visitors were shocked to hear this, as it contradicted what they had always known.
"Really?"
Fang Ye explained, "The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' records: 'When bamboo flowers, it withers that year.'
Bamboo flowering is a natural phenomenon. Most bamboo species flower every 15-120 years, and after flowering, they die.
There is a certain periodicity to bamboo flowering, causing large areas of bamboo to die simultaneously.
However, pandas eat over 30 different types of bamboo. If arrow bamboo flowers, there are other types of bamboo they can eat. It's not like different species of bamboo flower at the same time.
Think about it, pandas have survived for millions of years, experiencing countless bamboo flowering events.
If they really died in large numbers every time bamboo flowered, such a fragile species would have disappeared long ago and wouldn't be here today.
Every species that has survived to this day is a strong survivor of nature, with great resilience!"
Liu Xueqing couldn't help but ask, "If bamboo flowering didn't starve the pandas, what caused their starvation?"
Fang Ye said, "The dilemma faced by giant pandas at that time was far more than just bamboo flowering and the simple fact of having no food to eat and starving.
After conducting investigations, researchers found over 20,000 animal traps in a certain area.
Although pandas didn't have much culinary or medicinal value, so poaching of giant pandas wasn't as severe, these traps set for other animals could also ensnare pandas. A slight misstep could result in broken limbs or even death.
Moreover, at that time, people's awareness of ecological protection was generally weak. Some county leaders even said, 'If people can't eat their fill, why bother protecting giant pandas?'
In some villagers' homes, over 400 giant panda skins were confiscated, along with some golden snub-nosed monkey skins."
"Wow!"
The surrounding tourists exclaimed in shock.
400 giant panda skins. How many wild giant pandas are there now? Around 1,000?
With so many giant panda skins, one can imagine how dangerous their situation was back then.
"Of course, there were still some kind-hearted villagers who lived by the simple wisdom passed down by their ancestors, understanding the concept of sustainable development, even though the term didn't exist back then.
When pandas came to their homes seeking help, these villagers would provide food for them. In those days, there were no convenient roads in the protected areas, and outsiders were unfamiliar with the terrain. When researchers went into the mountains to search for giant pandas, villagers would voluntarily lead the way. Some villagers even directly participated in rescuing the pandas, carrying out critically endangered pandas.
Fang Ye continued, "Animal traps were not the main factor. The most crucial issue was the loss and fragmentation of their habitat!
Earlier, I mentioned that pandas aren't afraid of bamboo flowering, but that's based on the premise of intact habitats.
Road construction, deforestation, land cultivation, dam construction—panda habitats were fragmented into small pieces, like isolated islands.
Previously, when the bamboo on one mountain flowered, pandas could go to another mountain. But now, due to roads, farmland, and deforestation, they couldn't cross over, leading to starvation.
This brings us to a person, Professor Pan.
At the time, people thought that with bamboo flowering and pandas starving, the solution was to capture all these wild pandas and raise them in captivity to save them. The country planned to establish thirteen captive breeding centers and had already captured many pandas.
However, after Professor Pan's investigation and research, it was discovered that although there was a significant die-off of bamboo, it wasn't to the extent of causing pandas to starve. Photos of dead pandas were taken in areas where bamboo didn't flower.
Facing pressure, Professor Pan wrote a detailed research report opposing the captive breeding of wild pandas. He argued that such actions would disrupt the wild panda population structure and could even lead to their cessation of reproduction.
Due to the comprehensive nature of his report, the plans for captive breeding centers were halted. It can be said that he single-handedly saved the fate of the panda population."
Liu Xueqing listened with a sense of awe!
Just imagining all the pandas being captured and raised in captivity made her realize the dire consequences.
The Japanese crested ibis was a cautionary tale—when the last few individuals were captured, their breeding attempts failed, leading to their extinction.
Wild pandas have a strong ability to reproduce in the wild, but in captivity, they become indifferent.
"In the 1980s, deforestation, especially in the 1990s when the national timber market opened, led to extensive logging. The survival of pandas was greatly threatened. Fortunately, the establishment of nature reserves halted the deforestation.
Protecting animals and their habitats is fundamental. Captive breeding is just a remedial measure.
However, there is a new threat now. Overgrazing causes livestock to nibble on bamboo, changing the panda's habitat. With the increasing demand for meat, grazing has intensified, leading to the degradation and disappearance of one-third of panda habitats in some areas."
Fang Ye saw everyone deep in thought and continued, "When we talk about protecting animals, it's not enough to just study the animals and their environment. People are also a crucial factor.
Protecting animals doesn't mean neglecting human livelihoods; it's about changing the economic structure of protected areas as much as possible, finding alternative economies that benefit both residents and the environment. Community involvement in conservation is the best form of protection.
For example, in Qinghai's Angsai Big Cat Valley, herders' livestock were preyed upon by snow leopards. The reserve hired herders as environmental monitors, set up infrared cameras on the mountains to monitor snow leopards' activities, provided scientific data, and developed eco-tourism. Experienced herders took tourists to see snow leopards.
In Sichuan's Guanba area, which previously relied on logging and hunting, leading to environmental degradation, they now try to replace logging with beekeeping. As the environment improved, various rare animals returned, the population of cold-water fish increased, and incomes rose.
Let me tell you another story about Professor Pan.
After concluding his study of wild pandas in the Qinling Mountains in 1996, he shifted his focus to the white-headed langurs in Guangxi.
At that time, the natural environment in that area had also suffered significant damage. The population of white-headed langurs was less than a hundred.
Professor Pan found that local residents habitually cut down trees for firewood and cooking. Many households had piles of firewood in their yards, and the surrounding land had been developed to saturation. The annual demand for firewood far exceeded the natural growth rate of trees.
If this situation continued, not only would trees continue to decrease, but the survival of white-headed langurs would face even greater challenges. The environment would deteriorate, and local residents would become increasingly impoverished.
Therefore, after much consideration, Professor Pan realized that to protect the white-headed langurs, he first had to ensure that people could eat without cutting down trees.
He initially invested 1,500 yuan of his own money to help two families convert to biogas, but due to lack of experience and insufficient funds, the results were not ideal.
Later, he received a prize of 100,000 yuan. He used the entire amount to build biogas pits in the village.
After posting notices to purchase cow dung, every household eagerly provided dung, quickly realizing the benefits of biogas. The Ministry of Agriculture later funded the construction of biogas pits in over a dozen villages. From then on, the centuries-old practice of chopping firewood for cooking changed in the local community.
When Professor Pan asked again, the villagers all said they wouldn't cut down trees anymore. Using biogas was much more convenient. Cutting trees was like killing piglets; it was a desperate act due to poverty.
Without having to trek through mountains to cut trees, villagers had time for other activities. They started growing sugarcane in the fields. Previously impoverished, their incomes increased, and their living standards greatly improved.
The local vegetation gradually recovered, with more trees. The white-headed langurs' range expanded, and their population increased year by year. Now, the total number has reached around 1,000."
The tourists listened intently, praising the efforts.
"Amazing!"
"What an extraordinary scientist, unmatched in the nation!"
"Being responsible for animals is also being responsible for people. Living in harmony with nature is our ultimate goal."