by Mick Jones
photos by Wang Huiming
They are among nature's most cuddly and lovable creatures. The Chinese government has made them an international symbol of peace and friendship. Children all over the world snuggle up to soft toys made in their image. And very soon, they are all going to be dead.
"Pandas are going to become extinct, it's only a matter of time," said Wang Wanmin, head keeper of the giant pandas at Beijing Zoo. "There is an urgent need for all of humanity to protect them."
As he speaks, a television monitor on the other side of Wang's shabby office allows him to keep tabs on the latest additions to the zoo's panda population - two babies born on 25 September to Le Le.
"They
bring the number of pandas here to 17," said Wang. "But it's too soon to say if
they will survive - it won't be until after six months that we can be fairly sure that
they're safe.
"When two pandas are born together, the mother typically abandons one, and in the past this has meant the abandoned baby is almost sure to die. We have only managed to raise one panda without the mother's help.
"This time we are trying to share the responsibilities. Instead of leaving one to the mother and looking after the other ourselves, we are taking turns. We hope this way we can keep them both alive."
Beijing zoo began its panda breeding program in 1963. 
Fifty-nine pandas have been raised since then, but these conservation efforts can do nothing to halt the slide towards extinction.
"There are only about 1,000 giant pandas left in the wild," said Wang. "And because of damage done by humans to the environment, they are now restricted to isolated 'islands'of suitable habitat. This makes it more and more difficult for different groups of pandas to mingle, so problems arise with interbreeding, which further weakens their ability to survive."
They also have to contend with the selfish greed that creates a market for hunters. Despite stringent protection measures by the government, poaching continues. A farmer in Southwest China was reported in November to have been sentenced to 20 years for killing three pandas and selling their pelts. The skins went for between US$600 and US$1,680.
"We haven't been able to release any of the pandas we raise to increase numbers," Wang said. "Once they have been reared by people, their habits are changed - they become weak, unable to look after themselves, to find food. Wild pandas are more active, aggressive and bad-tempered. Of the pandas here at the zoo, all but one were born in Beijing. So this is their home, this is all they know."
This is probably just as well, otherwise the pandas might get very depressed. The zoo has a lot of financial problems, which are reflected in the poorly maintained and cramped conditions in which many of the animals live.
"We only get a third of our funding from the government," said Zhang Jinglu, deputy director of the zoo. "The rest we have to raise ourselves, so there are many difficulties in keeping facilities up. And things are getting harder because the price of everything keeps going up."
Discussions on how to solve the funding crisis have focused on sponsorship and public donations, but concrete aid has yet to materialize. In the meantime, the workers at the zoo have to make do and mend to keep their institution afloat.
"The zoo has four functions," said Zhang. "It is a place of entertainment, education, research, and conservation. Of these, the most important are education and conservation.
"Children need to be taught the importance of preserving our environment. The significance of biodiversity- the number of different species in an ecosystem - is now a hot topic worldwide. The panda is just one of many endangered species that need to be protected. As the Chinese proverb says, 'Rare things are precious.'"