Corporate sponsors like Coca Cola have backed high profile WWF campaigns for polar bears and pandas to the tune of $2 million, further inflating the profile of these ‘conservation pin-ups’. Human’s affinity for ‘cute’ is rooted in our evolutionary biologyīut when it comes to adopting Victor the Purple-nosed pig frog, versus Bei Bei the panda, the bulbous, subterranean amphibian doesn’t get a look in.
It’s no accident that the wildlife that’s faring best happens to be powerful, warm-blooded, entertaining and easy on the eye. And despite pandas’ numbers rebounding enough to change its status from endangered to vulnerable, money keeps pouring in to protect these black and white furries. China rents out single bears for a staggering $1 million a year to zoos, which, according to the Giant Panda Conservation Foundation for North America, can require a further $1 million in upkeep. Pandas – the WWF’s corporate mascot, are officially the most expensive animals in the world to keep (five times more than elephants). Humans are conditioned to favour cute animals like pandas over ugly ones
