Bébé Panda @worldpressphoto ・・・ Zhang Hemin—“Papa Panda” to his staff—poses with cubs born in 2015 at Bifengxia Panda Base managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province, China. “Some local people say giant pandas have magic powers,” says Zhang, who directs many of China’s panda conservation efforts. “To me, they simply represent beauty and peace.⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I'm Ami Vitale (@amivitale) and this week I will share the incredible story of how China is saving it's most iconic mascot, the giant panda from the brink of extinction. This journey turned out to be one of the most unimaginable explorations I've ever had. In a region where bad environmental news is common, the giant panda might prove to be the exception and is a testament to the perseverance and efforts of Chinese scientists and conservationists. By breeding and releasing pandas, augmenting existing populations and protecting habitat, they are on their way to successfully saving their most famous ambassador and in the process put the wild back into an icon. You can read about this work in @NatGeo: http://on.natgeo.com/29PGByT⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WPPh2017 #panda #pandas #babypanda #ipanda #giantpanda #pandacub #endangered #sichuan #china #conservation #savetheplanet #natureisspeaking #nikon #photojournalism #amivitale @natgeo @nikonusa (à Paris, France)
