Panda: Back From the Brink
'Astonishing photos of giant pandas in their native habitat,' BBC Discover Wildlife.
Zhou Mengqi, introduction by Iain Valentine
Science consultants: Hu Jinchu, Zhang Hemin, Zhang Zhihe
9781887354899 • £25
A BBC Discover Wildlife magazine Book of the Month
‘Exquisite. A suitably stunning tribute to this incredible and much-misunderstood bear.’ Henry Nicholls, author of The Way of the Panda.
“Astonishing photos of giant pandas in their native habitat grace an absorbing overview… a fitting tribute to these global mascots of conservation" -BBC Discover Wildlife Magazine
'This tribute to the beauty of the beast is informed by leading conservationists, but centres on stunning shots by photographer Zhou Mengqi.' Nature Magazine
Available from Edinburgh Zoo and the zoo's online shop; from wildlife and environment booksellers NHBS; or from Blackwell Bookshop in Edinburgh (53-62 South Bridge) as well as all good bookshops. Also now available from Amazon UK. The high-definition colour Kindle version looks great on phones & tablets, and there's a fixed-layout version for iPads with some exclusive video and audio. In this video, Iain Valentine introduces the world's favourite bear.
The iconic giant panda is unique: it has no close relatives in the animal world. But despite becoming a symbol of wildlife conservation, having narrowly avoided extinction, there are fewer than 2000 giant pandas alive today. This spectacular celebration of our best-loved bear combines the expertise of the foremost panda conservationists with an extraordinary collection of previously unseen photographs by the world’s leading photographer of pandas in the wild. Catch a rare glimpse of this shy creature at home in the remote mountain wilderness of Sichuan, and peek inside the nursery at the Wolong research institution where efforts to save the panda have been bearing fruit.
Sales of this book support the pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, which is owned and managed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
We’ve just learned that the editors of BBC Wildlife Magazine have named Panda: Back from the Brink as their Book of the Month for their February issue, saying: “Astonishing photos of giant pandas in their native habitat grace an absorbing overview… [it] is a fitting tribute to these global mascots of conservation”.
Outdoor Photography’s editor also gives it the thumbs up in their February 2012 issue: "Featuring wonderful images by Zhou Mengqi – taken at the famous Wolong research centre and in the wilds of the magnificent Qionglai Mountains, in the Sichuan region of China – and insightful text covering their history, behaviour and the conservation effort around them, this book feels like the complete story."
Photo gallery, below. Pandas love splashing in the water. They drink large quantities of water to help them digest the bamboo, which they spend most of their time eating. They also love to climb and come alive in the snow, as you can see here. And – how cute are these young cubs, being hand-reared at the Wolong research centre?
Wheeeee!! Pandas love snow.
"The one-note diet, monochrome markings and long association with fertility treatments in captivity lend the giant panda an unreal air. But these animals are resilient: against all the odds, they total an estimated 2,000 individuals. This tribute to the beauty of the beast is informed by leading conservationists, but centres on stunning shots by photographer Zhou Mengqi. Backed by advice from panda experts Zhang Zhihe, Zhang Hemin and Hu Jinchu, Mengqi tracked his elusive subjects through the mountains of Sichuan for years." (Nature magazine, vol 480, 1 Dec 2011)
