Search - Nature: Pandas on DVD

This Giant Panda showcase is top notch

Kyle Tolle | Phoenix, Arizona USA | 07/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Spread over 2 different programs, each one an hour in length, PBS has produced a very nice look at maybe the most popular zoo animal and endangered species in the world.



Program 1 - Pandas of the Sleeping Dragon



Starting out in this first segment, a short history of bamboo is given and it details the vast importance of this plant. It is most vital to several animals in the territory but also a necessary resource to the human population who depend on it for numerous reasons.



The extensive bamboo forests in the Sleeping Dragon Mountains of Central China are the focal point for the exploration of the Giant Panda and looks at the mystique that surrounds this unique animal. This includes its distinct personality in the wild, feeding habits, breeding patterns, and the uncertain future it faces in a constantly changing environment.



Woven into the program is additional and interesting information on other animals indigenous to this mountain region that share a home with the Giant Panda. These would include the Red Panda, the Golden Monkey, the Bamboo Rat, the Takin (relative of the Musk Ox), and the Giant Salamander.



Program 2 - The Panda Baby



Well narrated by Matthew Modine, here is a detailed look at efforts by the San Diego Zoo to establish a breeding program for the Giant Panda. Using the acronym of CRES (Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species), this is the dedicated unit that works diligently to promote birth and conservation of many different types of rare animals.



Working in conjunction with the Wolong Panda Research Center in Sichuan, China, significant strides have been made through the years in overcoming what used to be huge difficulties in captive breeding techniques. The San Diego Zoo realized the first Giant Panda birth in the United States in 1999 and the Wolong Center in China has seen a dramatic number of successful Panda births in recent times. With the unexpected but highly rewarding number of new Panda cubs in the world, the next hurdle in this scenario is how to release them back into the wild. Finishing up this second hour is the examination of the fragile and shrinking Panda habitat in China. A significant portion of important territory is now a victim of deforestation, encroachment by the human populace, and loss of bamboo vegetation in place of farming for different types of crops.



`Nature: Pandas' is a very enjoyable, educational, and enlightening look at the world of the Giant Panda. The video footage and cinematography in China and other locations is very attractive to look at. The focus on the Pandas, the baby cubs, and all their interactions are a delight to watch. This is a fine documentary that I would recommend to everyone.

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