Beijing, March 3 (Liu Huan) Recently, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base issued a statement saying that the giant panda "Baoxin" has unfortunately passed away due to multiple organ failure. In addition, the life situation of giant pandas such as "Yaya" has also attracted attention.
From the rabbit "Fox" to the giant panda "Baoxin", why can they become the "top stream" of the network? And how to open the era of animal Internet celebrities?
Data map: Giant pandas in Chongqing Zoo eating bamboo shoots. Photo by Zhou Yi
The confirmation of the death of the giant panda "Baoxin" has attracted attention
Previously, some netizens said that the giant panda "Baoxin" of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base had not appeared since early March. On the evening of March 3, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base issued a note saying that on March 3, the giant panda "Baoxin" showed clinical manifestations such as drowsiness, food refusal, and poor spirit, and was preliminarily diagnosed as acute severe pancreatitis.
Although after more than ten days of 24-hour intensive care and treatment, "Baoxin" finally passed away on March 2023, 3 due to multiple organ failure.
According to public information, "Baoxin" is a male giant panda, born on June 2021, 6, and his mother is a returnee giant panda Po (Baolan) born at Zoo Atlanta, USA.
Previously, the death of the giant panda "Lele" in the United States, and the life situation of the giant panda "Yaya" also attracted widespread attention.
In April 2003, as part of the Sino-US joint conservation and research program for giant pandas, Lele, a male giant panda from Shanghai Zoo, and Yaya, a female giant panda from Beijing Zoo, arrived in Memphis by plane and began a 4-year career in the United States.
Two months after returning to China, the giant panda "Lele" died suddenly at the age of 2. Volunteers in the United States have told the media that the situation of another giant panda, Yaya, is worrying.
The website of the China Zoo Association released a notice saying that the China Zoo Association has arranged experts to assist in the care of "Yaya" at the Memphis Zoo. Beijing Zoo will send veterinarians and keepers to work with Memphis Zoo to raise and care for the giant panda "Yaya" and escort "Yaya" back to China.
According to media reports, after the news of "Yaya" returning to China was released, a huge poster of the panda "Yaya" appeared on the large screen of a shopping mall in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, with the text "Looking forward to your home". A poster of "Yaya" was also placed on the large screen on the exterior wall of a shopping mall in Sichuan, with slogans such as "I am waiting for you to go home in Sichuan" and "Pay attention to the road of the giant panda Yaya in the United States to return to China".
Data map: Four giant pandas in Chongqing Zoo "brewed tea around the stove" to enjoy delicious food to attract onlookers. Photo by Zhou Yi
The road to Internet celebrity for rare animals
It's not just pandas that have attracted widespread attention. In recent years, the living conditions of a variety of rare animals have also been widely disseminated through live broadcasts, short videos and other means.
On October 2022, 10, Xining Wildlife Park reported that China's only captive male rabbit "Fox Siqiao" died of suffocation due to chicken stuck in his throat while eating, at the age of 10 and a half. The news of his death rushed to the top of the hot search on the same day.
The obituary of Xining Safari Park reads: "In his life, he has never enjoyed the vast wild plateau and never breathed the cold self, but he has used his life to let countless people know, understand, pay attention to, and care about the species of rabbits." ”
Similarly, many rare animals let society know the true face of the species by sharing their daily lives. From turning over and eating, to fighting, giving birth, under the live broadcast camera, their every move is watched and recorded, and rare animals no longer become mysterious, but become personalized online pets.
In the era when everyone is vying to become Internet celebrities, these rare animals have unknowingly become the top of the Internet with their ordinary lives, opening the road to Internet celebrities of rare animals.
At present, iPanda, the world's only 24-hour multi-channel live streaming platform for giant pandas, has millions of fans on a domestic video website, and the video has received more than <> million likes. In foreign countries, iPanda's social platform has also attracted more than <> million attention. A video released by Xining Safari Park, "The Big Tiger Awakened", also easily garnered millions of views.
The fans of these animal Internet celebrities not only stop at watching videos, but also accurately tell the physical characteristics and personality characteristics of different animals, and carry out knowledge discussions and exchanges on the Internet.
Chen Limin, director of the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve Management Office of Giant Panda National Park, has been engaged in animal protection for many years, and he said that this shows that everyone's awareness of species protection has improved, "This is a good thing."
Xu Yanjun, head of the Migratory Species Working Group of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, pointed out that in many cases, many animals become Internet celebrities not because of their rarity, but because of the risk problems caused by becoming Internet celebrities.
For example, the marmot, commonly known as the marmot, which is commonly found on social media, should be noted that the animal is not suitable for close contact and rearing, posing a risk to human health, while it is loved by the public. In addition, some animals and plants attract the attention of criminals while gaining traffic, resulting in problems in their living conditions.
"So the identity of Internet celebrity is also a 'double-edged sword'. For the public, the key to animal protection is to truly improve the public's scientific quality and awareness of biodiversity conservation. Xu Yanjun said.
Data map: Four giant pandas in Chongqing Zoo "brewed tea around the stove" to enjoy delicious food to attract onlookers. Photo by Zhou Yi
Expert: Animal protection should minimize human interference
Giant pandas have been on the hot search in recent days, and their living conditions have attracted attention while also making the public think: what kind of living environment are wild animals suitable for?
Chen Limin pointed out that for wild animals, the wild environment is more suitable for their survival, captivity such as zoos are auxiliary means, and animal protection should minimize the interference of human factors.
"Animals are as sensitive to the environment as people. Wild animals need shelter, adequate food and water in the wild. Captivity needs to give them enough space to move, create an environment for wild survival, make them feel like they live in the wild, and maintain the wildness in their blood. Chen Limin said.
Xu Yanjun believes that the most important thing to protect wild animals and plants is to protect their habitats, curb habitat encroachment and destruction, and maintain the authenticity and integrity of natural ecosystems.
"In addition to the protected areas established by the government, a large number of other effective regional conservation measures are needed, that is, measures such as community conservation in a clear geographical space outside the nature reserve, which can play a long-term role in biodiversity conservation."
At the same time, new technologies play an important role in the protection of rare animals. For example, environmental DNA technology, remote sensing monitoring, infrared camera monitoring, etc. These new technologies have helped the public get a glimpse into the real life of wildlife.
"While making extensive use of technologies such as identification and monitoring of biological species, we also remind attention to the risks of scientific and technological ethics, such as the use of infrared cameras and GPS positioning systems, which may be used by poachers to locate these rare and endangered wildlife species." Therefore, the issue of science and technology ethics also deserves great attention. Xu Yanjun said. (End)