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Kill a panda and die!
Other | Thursday 10th October 2013 | Joss
Killing a panda in China is punishable by death. Hmm. Seems pretty harsh.
This simple little fact might induce a sigh, giggle, gasp or quizzical brow, but that’s about it. Most readers will continue scrolling down their twitter newsfeed in search of something more awe inspiring, something more gasp-worthy - maybe some hard-hitting news story or an update about one of Miley Cyrus’ dogs.
The fact is, we’ve been left with a philosophical conundrum! Is an eye for an eye, a life for a panda fair? Is it completely unfair but necessary to protect a dying species? If the world was flipped on its head and humans were endangered and pandas ruled the world, would be hope that our fuzzy friends were equally protective?
It seems paradoxical that China is so protective of a fat, clumsy bear and yet they will chuck a baby girl out of a window thanks to the oh-so clever one-child policy. But on further inspection, we can make better sense of it. With multitudes of cheap ‘made in China’ stuff, the only genuine rarity made in China is a fuzzy panda.
Also, who would want to kill a panda? Is this law for panda murders only? What about manslaughter! If somebody accidentally hit your dog with their car, would you demand that they be punished… by death? Maybe people would be more careful around your dog if they knew they too would meet a similar fate. Maybe the same applies to the panda.
Maybe this law is preventative, designed to help our furry friend and to encourage (or threaten) people to be more conscious of the panda’s safety. Maybe not so harsh. Maybe environmentally clever. Or maybe they threw all the clever babies out of the window and all that’s left are people who have elevated the status of the panda and reduced that of humans.
Joss Wyatt
