I have a good friend who hates pandas. He thinks they are slow and stupid and not worth saving. He and I have had several conversations about this, and as he is the only one of my circle who has an opinion on pandas, it was nice to come across this book so I could see the other viewpoint.

The story of the panda is absolutely fascinating. Nicholls's history starts out with their "discovery" by the Western world and moves chronologically to the present day. It was really interesting to not see how the West reacts to pandas, but how the Chinese have over the decades placed heavy nationalistic pride and political weight on the animal.

The book, thankfully, ends on a optimistic note. Nicholls points out that for the first time ever, there is enough habitat, population, funding, and research to provide the foundation for reintroduction of pandas raised in captivity to the wild successfully in the near future. ( )

This book was right up my alley. I actually got a master's degree in environmental studies with my focus on the human aspects of endangered species conservation. This was a great read that brought back my enthusiasm for the subject. Living in the Washington, DC area, we are often inundated with panda news, especially last summer when cubs are born. I really enjoyed learning about the history of panda conservation and science. I think Nicholls did a great job presenting the history without being dry and the science without being too technical. He manages to strike a balance between realistic expectations and optimism for the future of wild pandas. The book starts out with a history lesson for both pandas and China. It begins with early hunting exhibitions to kill a panda and collect specimens for museums and continues through the challenge of capturing live pandas and then trying to find a way to breed them in captivity. The book ends with a look at future challenges, such as successfully releasing captive bred pandas into the wild. I learned a lot from the book. The next time I am at the National Zoo, I will have a new found respect for and interest in the work that is being done there. ( )