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fireworks_god
Sexy.Butt.McDanger



Registered: 03/12/02
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Red Pandas
#7909591 - 01/21/08 01:17 PM (16 years, 11 days ago) |
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I think the most adorable animals I have ever seen are red pandas. I remember really liking them in elementary school, and I recently rediscovered them. 
One of the aspects of the nature of red pandas that is so interesting is that they are a fairly unique species. There really aren't a lot of presently existing animal species you can compare them to. Interestingly, they share a name with the giant panda, and they both subsist nearly entirely on a diet of bamboo. Bamboo itself has been discovered to be a very evolved plant species now that we have done genetic research on it.

Red pandas are facing extinction due to the fact that they are evolved for a highly specific micro-habitat that has been facing severe threats imposed upon it by humans, such as deforestation, but not to exclude the fact that some human beings choose to continue their traditional use of their amazing fur as wedding gifts, etc. The fact that they are adapted to a microhabitat is an interesting point to keep conscious of as I continue.

Red pandas are adorable creatures that are made to be petted and cuddled. Their fur is beautiful and is surely amazing to play with. Red pandas are intelligent and playful, loving creatures. They were traditionally kept as pets by Chinese emperors, and appear to get along with humans quite well in zoos, who have a global red panda population management program in place to prevent extinction, in preparation for the looming threat of extinction in the wild.


98% of a red panda's diet is bamboo, and they prefer to eat only the most tender leaves and shoots. This is due to the lack of either panda's ability to digest cellulose, coupled with the low amount of energy bamboo yields in the first place. Red pandas have adapted to this by requiring very little energy for their body to function, even less than that of the sloth.

Red pandas are about the size of a cat. They seem to be very peaceful, playful, curious creatures.

Humans have evolved over the course of thousands of years in a symbiotic relationship with dogs. Much of our social order and our own behavior is due to the result of our interactions with dogs. They have served as a catalyst to our own evolution as much as we have theirs, which is a substansive case for the existence of the phenomenon of evolution in itself.
Humans and dogs came together due to the specialization of tasks that ensued which benefited the survival of all involved. Humans typically also have severe misconceptions regarding the nature of animals. We deny our own animal nature, and we subsequently misunderstand our brothers and sisters, other animals. We are all the same family, after all.


It is the personal goal of myself and MT to research these beautiful creatures and begin to work with them, and to put ourselves into an opportunity to keep them as pets and document it all with video and writing. 
I wonder if red pandas will be the next animal to share a signfigant, symbiotic relationship with humans. Red pandas have a lot to teach us about energy conservation and love. 
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If I should die this very moment I wouldn't fear For I've never known completeness Like being here Wrapped in the warmth of you Loving every breath of you
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dirtworshipper
Sitting in the heart cave



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 I love red pandas too
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“You've got as many lives as you like, and more, even ones you don't want.” - George Harrison
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im_on_a_boat
Stranger

Registered: 04/06/06
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red pandas ftw!
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EternalCowabunga
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Sra_sephiroth0
Malicious Puppet's clone


Registered: 12/11/07
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well isnt that cute
-------------------- "You all are just puppets... You have no heart...and cannot feel any pain..."" you may think thats pain you feel but you must have a heart to feel true pain and that pain wont be yours
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Visionary Tools



Registered: 06/23/07
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Mmm, reminds me of my 1000# vainity post.
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Icelander
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they both subsist nearly entirely on a diet of bamboo.
I'll bet that would make them a tasty addition to a stir fry then.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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backfromthedead
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TheCow
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cute, but what good are they? Dogs helped us out, and still do. What the fuck is a red panda gonna do? Id much rather just get another dog
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



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Re: Red Pandas [Re: TheCow]
#7910476 - 01/21/08 04:41 PM (16 years, 11 days ago) |
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Why does every living thing have to do something for you?
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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im_on_a_boat
Stranger

Registered: 04/06/06
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i support the movement for a red panda smiley!
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bmiles
artist



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damn you fireworks! my girlfriend is obsessed now!!! haha
-------------------- Never go with a hippy to a second location.
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MushroomTrip
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Oh yes, they surely are wonderful creatures.  They're loving and playful and, it seems, they LOVE to be around humans. They don't seem bothered or distressed, on the contrary, they manifest themselves in a very playful and trusting manner. I am certain that they would make wonderful and happy pets, and, in the same time, their chance to survival and reproducing would increase.  This video says it all about how cute and natural they can behave around humans:
I feel that this new possible bond would be beneficial for both people and red pandas, the only problem in this moment would be the law that interdicts having them as pets. But then again, this is because nobody has proven what amazing things can result from this bond. There are lots of studies which have shown that humans with pets are happier than those without pets. I came across this interesting article:
http://cujo.clemson.edu/manuscript.php?manuscript_ID=38
Here are a few lines:
Quote:
Odendaal (2000) describes possible health benefits as a result of associating with pets. There are six neurochemicals in the brain that help to reduce blood pressure. Odendaal tested and found that there was a positive interaction between the increase of the six neurochemicals that reduce blood pressure and the participants interacting with their pet dogs. Jennings, Reid, Christy, Jennings, Anderson, and Dart (1998) found that pet owners have lower systolic blood pressure and plasma triglycerides than non-pet owners. These two studies show a positive correlation between interactions with pets and blood pressure.
I find it amazing how some little critters can put a huge smile on our face and how much we can learn to remember from them how good it feels to play.  Why not try to make something constructive with those little red pandas? People argue that we shouldn't interfere with the course of their lives, but frankly I think it's all bull shit.  We already influenced their lives, and not always in a good way for them. I think that this is a perfect opportunity to show that wonderful side of nature and natural and how good it feels to connect with other animals.
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   All this time I've loved you And never known your face All this time I've missed you And searched this human race Here is true peace Here my heart knows calm Safe in your soul Bathed in your sighs
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Huehuecoyotl
Fading Slowly


Registered: 06/13/04
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What do these beasts taste like. They look fat enough to have a good deal of meat on them.
-------------------- "A warrior is a hunter. He calculates everything. That's control. Once his calculations are over, he acts. He lets go. That's abandon. A warrior is not a leaf at the mercy of the wind. No one can push him; no one can make him do things against himself or against his better judgment. A warrior is tuned to survive, and he survives in the best of all possible fashions." ― Carlos Castaneda
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PhanTomCat
Teh Cat....



Registered: 09/07/04
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They are cute.... 
Good luck doooods.... 
>^;;^<
-------------------- I'll be your midnight French Fry.... "The most important things in life that are often ignored, are the things that one cannot see...." >^;;^<
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Rose
Devil's Advocate



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Quote:
Huehuecoyotl said: What do these beasts taste like.
Bamboo.
-------------------- Fiddlesticks.
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Rose
Devil's Advocate



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Quote:
Huehuecoyotl said: What do these beasts taste like.
Chicken.
Sorry, couldn't do just one.
-------------------- Fiddlesticks.
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PhanTomCat
Teh Cat....



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Re: Red Pandas [Re: Rose]
#7912358 - 01/21/08 09:37 PM (16 years, 11 days ago) |
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Bamboo chicken doesn't sound very tasty....


>^;;^<
-------------------- I'll be your midnight French Fry.... "The most important things in life that are often ignored, are the things that one cannot see...." >^;;^<
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fireworks_god
Sexy.Butt.McDanger



Registered: 03/12/02
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Quote:
Huehuecoyotl said: What do these beasts taste like. They look fat enough to have a good deal of meat on them.
Au contraire, most of what you see is fur. You would be much more likely to eat a tabby cat or a raccoon before you would eat a red panda.
Of course, what you and Icelander have brought up is an interesting point to consider as well. There are movements that would like to secure the commercial usage of Siberian tigers, such as selling their meat and fur. Human rights activists hysterically would oppose such an action, but the point well missed by them is that this would secure the survival of an endangered species. If there was potential for commercial profit, there would be individuals who would be interested in investing in a Siberian tiger breeding program. Scientific understanding with documented occurences taking place, evidence, could be funded much more effectively than as capable of a zoo or university. This would create work for scientists, and a demand for scientists would increase the intelligence of the population of this planet, thereby improving living conditions on this planet.
Education would be more invested in globally, as it would be necessary to educate the workforce. Habitat restoration would become more funded, because scientists would have jobs exploring those habitats and creating scientific understanding.
If the animals were treated in an ethical manner, then it would not necessarily reduce the quality of life of these animals. In the example of Siberian tigers, they could even be given the opportunity to live naturally, by creating an enclosure that resembles their ideal habitat, a micro-habitat tailored to the animal, and they could be harvested by trained hunters.
Their survival would be ensured. Humans would benefit from more scientific understanding of all life, not just our own. We will learn much more about reality by taking into consideration the perspective of the planet around us. If there are answers, they are to be found in our environment, in other life.
It is unethical to allow species to go extinct because of our ignorance, and it is unethical to assume a perspective that defines a condemning role for an animal. If we found ways that we could secure the sustainability of all beneficial life around us, and lived our lives in relation to them, we could evolve with them. I'm inclined to think that our consciousness could be manifested in them, and their consciousness manifested within us.
Regarding the question of the benefits that red pandas could bring to humans, it would be therapy. Peace. Center in their own being. They could happen to be the perfect pet, but our own misconceptions regarding the nature of life prevent us from looking at it in those terms.
Live evolves. Symbiotic relationships are mutually-beneficial. The distinctions and boundaries we find amongst ourselves and other animals don't actually exist. The difference between ourselves and a leopard is almost as negligible as the distinction between a white or black human when it is really put into perspective.
There is enough documentation out there of instances in which an animal from one species is raised in relation to an animal from another species. Reports of feral humans raised by wolves, basically being a wolf in a human body. Cats growing up with a dog nanny. Gorillas relationship with cats, etc. Chinchillas are a more recently known pet, so it isn't as though there is any true boundary that distinguishes a wild animal from a domestic pet, beyond the gap in the amount of interaction we have shared together.
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If I should die this very moment I wouldn't fear For I've never known completeness Like being here Wrapped in the warmth of you Loving every breath of you
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fireworks_god
Sexy.Butt.McDanger



Registered: 03/12/02
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Quote:
MushroomTrip said: I find it amazing how some little critters can put a huge smile on our face and how much we can learn to remember from them how good it feels to play.  Why not try to make something constructive with those little red pandas? People argue that we shouldn't interfere with the course of their lives, but frankly I think it's all bull shit.  We already influenced their lives, and not always in a good way for them. I think that this is a perfect opportunity to show that wonderful side of nature and natural and how good it feels to connect with other animals.
Exactly, and we could subsequently learn how good it feels to connect with other people, as well. A red panda could shift the center of consciousness from security and power addictions upto a level of love and awareness.
I see red pandas as a creature that will travel space with us.
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If I should die this very moment I wouldn't fear For I've never known completeness Like being here Wrapped in the warmth of you Loving every breath of you
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