Panda Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

At any zoo, few animals draw more attention than the tiger and the
panda. Unfortunately, unless things change drastically over the next few
years, zoos may be the only place left to see these beautiful majestic
animals. These two books explore the complex reasons why tigers and
pandas are on the endangered list and what we humans can do to change
that fact.

Bortolotti starts each book by informing the reader about the
traditional lifestyle and habitat of the featured animal. He then
elaborates on how these once plentiful creatures are now being wiped out
by human encroachment, both accidental and deliberate, pointing out that
the reasons for the animals’ decline are often complex. In many
places, for example, the tiger is still a feared killer, and villagers
are often unwilling to share the same living space with a 600–pound
predator. In China, farmland is very precious, and it is hard for the
government to persuade people that pandas need living space too.
Bortolotti concludes the books on a note of hope: it will be hard for
people to save the tiger and panda, but if we really want to, we can.
Each book is packed with dozens of lovely photos and illustrations along
with period photos. An index and a list of wild-animal rescue agencies
are included in the back. Both volumes are highly recommended.