The following is a statement by the World Wildlife Fund on their web site: WWF safeguards hundreds of species around the world, but we focus special attention on our flagship species: giant pandas, tigers, endangered whales and dolphins, rhinos, elephants, marine turtles and great apes. These species not only need special measures and extra protection in order to survive, they also serve as umbrella species: helping them helps numerous other species that live in the same habitats.

The truth of the matter is that the disappearance is wildlife is of great concern. Here is one species that the WWF might add to their special list of flagship species: Homo sapiens. Perhaps we fit under the current umbrella.

We humans fit into the picture as mammals. That is we have mammary glands and give birth to live critters rather than lay eggs. We are also vertebrates having back ache when we get old or we lift too much. We are fragile and disruption of the environment of other animals disrupts our environment. Species now extinct can not be resurrected by man. The endangered species MUST be preserved.

Giant Panda

WWF is trying to save the giant panda because they are so cute. They have been working with China for some time. WWF says there are only about 1600 pandas in the wild. The rest are in the Washington Zoo.

I visited the pandas at the Washington Zoo back when they were first loaned to us by China. I have not seen the current pair loaned to us for 10 years by China, Mei Xiang, now 6, and Tian Tian, 7, who arrived from China in 2000. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25057-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_metro.

The pandas have had trouble breeding, as reported in the URL above, the males are particularly dumb. Artificial insemination doesn