Kung fu pandas
Sunday June 30, 2013
Reporter: Alex Cullen
Producer: Paul Waterhouse
CLICK HERE to read Alex Cullen's blog about his time in China.
The instantly recognisable animal appears on the logo for the World Wildlife Fund, but it’s estimated only around 1600 Giant Pandas remain in the wild. The message to mankind is clear: if we can’t protect the Giant Panda, no animal on earth is safe from oblivion.
In this exclusive Sunday Night report, Alex Cullen joins Hollywood legend Jackie Chan on the front line in the 11th hour battle to save these magnificent creatures. Chinese authorities escort us to the isolated sanctuary going to extraordinary lengths to try and breed the sexually inactive pandas – the female is only in the mood for procreation for around three days each year.
While China’s industrial revolution is unstoppable, with concrete and bitumen encroaching further and further into the panda’s natural habitat, scientists are attempting to reintroduce captive bred pandas back to the wild.
To give the project the best possible chance of success, and not contaminate pandas with human contact, workers dress in panda suits to interact with the animals each day. Alex and his film crew are the first Western TV journalists to suit up and go in search of China’s elusive remaining wild pandas.
Jackie Chan tells Sunday Night why saving the Giant Panda is so important to him. He’s already given $1 million to the cause and has adopted two pandas. And this story has implications for Australia: in 2009, Adelaide Zoo became home to two pandas from this same sanctuary, Wang Wang and Funi. So far, they haven’t been able to breed, but this July they will begin a panda IVF program that’s the final hope for sustaining the panda population in China.
RELATED LINKS
Dr Sarah Bexell's wonderful book called Giant Pandas: Born Survivors
Jackie Chan appeared on Sunday Night courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival, where he is promoting ‘A Century of Chinese Cinema’
CLICK HERE to learn more about Wang Wang and Funi at Adelaide Zoo, and follow their pregnancy progress.
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