A cuddly flagship species of conservation

Based on the video, some media reports on pandas' "language" ability have emerged. One report claimed many giant pandas can understand the Sichuan dialect, and some can even understand Japanese, English or the Cantonese dialect.

The first part of the reports is understandable as most of pandas in captivity live in the breeding centers in Sichuan and the forests in Sichuan were home to most of their ancestors. The second part is reasonable given that very few countries have privilege and capability to keep giant pandas in their zoos. The typical cost of loaning a pair of pandas for a decade from China is $1 million a year. Plus, the countries need to have close political or economic ties with China.

Now, about 50 "panda ambassadors" are living outside the Chinese mainland — in about 20 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Spain, France, Japan, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong and Macao.

This makes me think some pandas should also be able to understand French, Spanish or German. It's a classical case of conditioned reflex, a biologist friend told me. Considering a panda's natural response to its keeper's questions which we identify as the ability to understand a language, he said, how many languages pet dogs and cats have learned across the world given that they have been trained and taught in captivity for centuries?

Still, the panda video is interesting and has added to the charm of the animal as a symbol conservation and China. More than a fascinating animal, the panda is a flagship species of a unique ecosystem found only in a few mountain ranges of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. And living in that ecosystem are also hundreds of other endemic animals, birds and plants.

A flagship species is one that has "the ability to capture the imagination of the public and induce people to support conservation". The panda suits the bill. So let it be in the limelight.

The author is a writer with China Daily. chenliang@chinadaily.com.cn