I'm not a panda guy; I'm a birder. In birding circles for the last few decades, that same question has been asked about the California condor. A lot -- and I mean a lot of money (both private and taxpayer-funded) -- has gone into saving this one species. And for what? Despite all this money, it's still evident that the California condor will NEVER survive on its own. The only reason this species is still with us is due to the extraordinary efforts of humans to keep the population viable. Is it worth it?
I bet you'd be surprised to hear that many prominent birders don't believe so. Yes, no one wants to see this magnificent bird disappear forever, but all the time and money that goes into keeping it alive is not helping other birds that are endangered or threatened such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, Kirtland's warbler, Cerulean warbler, or black-capped vireo, to name just a few.
The thought is that all the money and manpower spent on ONE species could be better spent conserving several other species. This probably applies to the panda as well.
I'll be honest: it's a tough call to make.
But condors aren’t cute. Pandas are. I don’t care about condors. Pandas have given me endless hours of pleasure and fulfill all my cuteness needs.
The California Condor unfortunately is an overgrown buzzard. Why some species of their type flourish and they die is beyond the normal “lack of habitat” reasoning. There is plenty of that. Maybe after so many years of decline the breeding instincts of the last survivors just weren’t up to par to save itself. There are plenty of scavengers out there to do the job of the California Condor.
They fact they aren’t cuddly cute bears doesn’t help their cause either.
Oh, I’m a birder too. Can’t wait for my winter visitors to arrive! I have two pairs of breeding Painted Bunting and their offspring along with a new arrival of two breeding Indigo Buntings. Not to mention hundreds of finch and other wintering species. Good Birding FRiend!