Pandas Steal Spotlight from Taiwan’s Endangered Formosan Bears · Global Voices
The exhibition of 1,600 pandas and 200 Formosan black bears. Photo by figarotwo. CC: NC.
Baby panda <PERSON> has been spotlighted by the Taiwanese media since her birth in July 2013. While many have gone to Taipei Zoo to see the young bear, some have questioned why the panda has received so much media attention compared to Formosan black bears, which were voted the most representative wildlife of Taiwan back in 2001. <PERSON> parents were gifts from mainland China to Taiwan and are considered part of an act of diplomacy.
Since January this year, in addition to the wide and constant media coverage of the pandas in Taipei Zoo, the Taipei City Government has been hosting an exhibition of 1,600 papier-mâché pandas designed by <PERSON> to promote wildlife preservation. Even though the artist also designed another 200 papier-mâché Formosan black bears and one tree frog for the exhibition, the public attention has been mainly on the pandas. 495
Some have criticized the government's active role in the public promotion of pandas.
Forestry Bureau wildlife conservation section head <PERSON> attempted to clarify the situation by explaining the source of funding [zh] for pandas:
Satire on the lack of attention given to Formosan black bears: the mother bear paints her baby bear white while saying, ‘It is my fault for letting you grow up here.’ By 布魯斯 (<PERSON>). CC: NC. CC: NC.
最近很多人質疑：政府只關心大陸來的貓熊，反而對本土的台灣黑熊不聞不問。
其實農委會（林務局、特生中心）、各國家公園對黑熊的保育工作每年投入的經費也有好幾百萬，倒是沒給貓熊一毛錢。貓熊的經費都是台北市立動物園自己編的，但他們確實很會行銷，廠商業者贊助資源更多。
Recently many people have been asking this question: why does it seem like our government only cares about the pandas, [which are gifts] from China, and not the Formosan black bears endemic to Taiwan?
The Council of Agriculture and Taiwan's national parks currently has a budget of millions for the conservation of Formosan black bears. On the other hand, the government does not fund the conservation of pandas. Taipei Zoo (partially funded by the Taipei City Government) has its own budget for pandas. In addition to that, they have raised a lot of funds for pandas from companies wanting to promote their businesses.
<PERSON>, the president of the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association [zh], wishes more attention were given [zh] to Formosan black bears:
貓熊是國際上公認的保育代言人。例如，世界自然基金會（WWF）以貓熊為會徽，作為保護所有生物的象徵。因此，對我們而說，貓熊之所以來台灣，不就是來關心牠的熊族至親台灣黑熊嗎？ 368