Pandering to fads

So, EDINBURGH Zoo just happens to have succeeded in bringing over two pandas for breeding purposes at the same time the mass-selling computer game World Of Warcraft is about to introduce martial arts wielding pandas. Coincidence of course, like the time it “just happened” to bring over meerkats when a certain irritating car insurance advert became popular.

It’s depressing to think that zoos have to “panda” to pop cultural fads to get people to visit, because until animals shoot fireballs or whatever like something out of Pokemon, today’s generation couldn’t care less about wildlife.

Blame Steve Irwin and his ilk who dumbed down public interest in nature from how interesting it was to being limited to how action-packed they were.

If that sounds harsh, how did the humble sparrow go from being Britain’s most common bird to the brink of extinction in less than five years? When the warnings went out about this iconic bird, the media and general public yawned.

MARK BOYLE

Linn Park Gardens

Johnstone, Renfrewshir