First published 1994
Giant pandas face extinction as their bamboo habitat shrinks and hunters target their valuable pelts. Renowned naturalist George Schaller spent four and a half years in China's Wolong and Tangjiahe reserves studying these elusive creatures. He documents their daily behaviors and individual personalities while exposing the conservation failures that threaten their survival. Schaller reveals how captive breeding programs fell victim to corruption and profiteering schemes. His field observations capture intimate details of panda life in their mountain forest homes. The book combines natural history with sharp political analysis of conservation efforts gone wrong. Schaller writes with the precision of a scientist and the compassion of someone who knows these animals as individuals. He chronicles both the wonder of observing pandas in the wild and the frustration of watching human greed undermine rescue efforts. This work stands as both celebration and warning about one of the world's most beloved endangered species.
Genres: biography, nature, animals, conservation
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: nature-writing
Setting: China, Tangjiahe, Wolong
312 pages · Paperback · University of Chicago Press