(photo from Xinhua newspaper)I've just read that due to the earthquake activity in Sichuan, there isn't enough bamboo available to feed the pandas in the area (Chengdu has a major panda sanctuary). So the authorities are feeding them congee instead. This article caught my eye, partly because it's sounds so cute, and also because I hadn't really thought about how the earthquakes have affected the wildlife in the area on a longer-term basis.
I think this is a natural response. The initial reaction to any crisis of this kind is to save as many people as possible and then start to worry about the logistics of providing food and shelter. This is where aid charities can help the most - whilst the government and local communities concentrate on rescuing people (and in this case, pandas too) relief organisations are vitally important for making sure that the survivors have enough food and water to stay alive. Although aid help isn't a long-term solution, people can not start to pick up their lives and start again as best they can if they have no resources or worse, hope. What has greatly encouraged me is the way local Chinese with the means and ability have rushed to set up food stations and provide help to those in need. Even more encouraging is how the government appears to be working with these individual groups to provide relief, and also admitting its shortcomings that have contributed to the massive death-toll figures still being counted.
I wonder, if it were not pandas that were being fed congee that could be fed to hungry people, whether there would be an uproar. But the panda is not just any animal, it is a much-beloved national emblem for China and holds a rather special place in people's hearts. More importantly, the private and state response to this disaster has for once been very open. The feeling is that they are putting as much as they can into the rescue and relief effort. When this is the case, I doubt that people will really begrudge the pandas their share of aid.
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