The Last Panda

George B. Schaller

University of Chicago Press, Apr 15, 1993 - Nature - 291 pages

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 Schaller—both 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."—Geoffrey 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."—Devra 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."—Whole 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."—Donald Dale Jackson, Smithsonian

What people are saying

User Review -

I absolutly LOVE Panda's their Wonderfull & very Beautifull Creatures and I thought George Schaller's Book was great I simply could not put it down once I started it. I'm a BIG BELIVER in PANDAS and I really wish I could study them more. Geoge Schaller is a very smart & willing man
to be able to go over into China & study these wonderful endangered creatures. I really wish
there was something more the world could do for them.
I thought his book was one of the BEST BOOKS I've ebver read & I would definately recomend it
to any one to read that's interested in these Bears, I would definately read it again.
It is my dream some day to be able to see a real live Panda either at a Zoo or go to China & see one in captivity.
Mrs. Rigg 

Review: The Last Panda

User Review  - LibraryCin - Goodreads

4.25 stars George Schaller is a biologist and conservationist who has studied various wildlife in their natural settings. In this book, he gives us an account of the time he spent in China in the ...

Contents

• Preface: 1
• Winter Days: 18
• Panda Politics: 36
• A Footnote to History: 44
• A Mountain of Treasure: 52
• In the Hollow of a Fir: 81
• WeiWeis World: 99
• Death in the Choushuigou: 122
• Travels in Panda Country: 130
• ZhenZhen Eats Bitterness: 152
• Tangjiahe: 169
• Crisis: 200
• Prisoners of Fate: 218
• RentaPanda: 235
• The Endangered Wildlife of China: 253
• of Giant Pandas: 275

About the author

Zoologist George B. Schaller was born in 1933. He is the science director of international programs for the New York Zoological Society's Center for Field Biology and Conservation. After studying wildlife in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Schaller wrote The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations, which won the 1972 National Book Award. After studying the panda in China, Schaller wrote The Last Panda, a book detailing his discoveries.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Last Panda
• Author: George B. Schaller
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1993
• ISBN: 0226736288, 9780226736280
• Length: 291 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Animals / Mammals; Nature / Animals / Wildlife; Pets / General; Science / General; Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / Mammals