Pandas are Overrated. Choose Frogs Instead!

How appearances govern the conservation world

Hey friends,

Greetings from Ashoka University, India!

I just finished reading “The Book Thief” for the first time.

Yes, I’m late. I know.

But believe me when I say that this was one of the BEST books I’ve read. Oh, there is just so much to unpack here! The characters, the style, the narration, the relevance—all are layered and tender. I’ll save my insights for the review…

Lately, I’ve been taken by war-fiction. There is a depth to these stories that those of us who have never seen such violence NEED to dive into. We must access those realities through fiction to gain a glimpse into the lived reality of so many people across the globe.

The horrors of war is something I want to write about, but I don’t know how. Maybe in my own work of fiction…

In other news, Write of Passage has been great. My body is certainly taking a toll from all the sleep deprivation, but mentally, I’ve never been better! WOP has a funny way of getting your creative juices flowing. I just have ideas screaming to be written!

Here's the links I want to share this week:

• Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: This podcast breaks down a memoir by one of the world’s leading writers. So many learnings about creativity, perseverance and the importance of entrepreneurial thinking…

• Mary Karr — Memoirs on Creative Process and Finding Gifts in the Suffering | The Tim Ferriss Show: A deep dive into the great memoir writer’s life and philosophies…

• Are The Dancing Frogs Of The Western Ghats On Their Last Legs?: Want to read about the frogs I write about below? They DANCE! Click this link for more…

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Pandas are overrated. You should like frogs instead!

Take a look at these two pictures. Which animal do you like better?

Panda picture credits: COURTESY OF ZOOPARC DE BEAUVAL

Chances are, you picked the second. I mean, LOOK AT THOSE PANDAS.

Those squishable smiles. Boopable noses. Those snuggly, roly-poly, I-JUST-WANT-TO-HUG-YOU faces!

But the truth is, pandas are overrated.

Sure they’re cute. But they are incredibly difficult  to conserve . They are slow breeders and thus are struggling to rebound in the wild. They only eat bamboo and rarely mate in captivity. I mean, in zoos, females WON’T mate with males that haven’t fought to win her over! Talk about fussy. 

So much money goes into saving these adorable doofuses. Millions of dollars. Pandas struggle to stay alive in captivity; they NEED a very doctored environment. That means air controlled environments and sanitary checkups. They can’t even do the simple job of STAYING ALIVE. By playing with our heartstrings, they also play with our wallets. 

These huggable furballs don’t contribute much to the environment. Their bamboo-chomping doesn’t do much to maintain the health of the forest. They’re simply not that important to their ecosystems.  

Seriously, they are unBEARable. 

Oh, what about that second picture up there? That’s a Micrixalus Dancing frog. They’re found only in a small pocket in India and while they might not be pretty, they dance.

DANCE!

Picture Credits - Nature in Focus

To attract mates, the males lift their legs in the air and swirl them around. Because their calls get drowned up the gurgling stream, they evolved into amphibious ballerinas to get their mates attention.

I was in an Indian rainforest, knee deep in a stream, when I first saw this happen. “Shocked out of my wits” would be putting my reaction mildly. I was in awe. You could have knocked me over with a blade of grass.

And even though I must have had a dozen leeches sucking blood out of me, my mind roared with a single thought.

HOW FRICKIN COOL IS THAT! 

We should save frogs, not pandas.

These frogs are flickering on the edge of extinction. Since they live in just a few streams, they are at risk from developmental projects. Clog up these streams and we’ll lose them. Forever. 

Frogs are so much better for the environment. They gobble up one of our worst enemies; MOSQUITOES. They eat up other insects too, saving our harvests. Their hunger keeps our hunger at bay. 

Frogs are so much easier to save than pandas. They require much less resources. "All that's needed is to pay off those who want to destroy their streams and you're sorted. It is THAT easy.

But in spite of this, pandas get all the big bucks. These balloons of cuteness get more attention than species with more modest faces. I mean, how can wrinkled critters compare to fuzzy-wuzzy furballs? Slime the definition of ickiness. Pick up a frog and find out. 

Should appearances dictate who lives and who dies? Or should we prioritize those that ACTUALLY matter, and have a higher chance of surviving? 

Pandas are overrated. Let’s save frogs instead. 

Postcard

My friends

Sairam Sundaresan

and

Elizabeth Edwards

asked me to post more of my artwork, so here you go! This was a recent sketch I made while killing time between WOP sessions late at night (finished this at 3:51 am Wednesday EXACTLY!)

Favourite Quote

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind and still retain the ability to function - F Scott Fitzgerald

Have a creative, energetic and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)