Panda porn

I was listening to those two madcaps on Red FM this morning and they were discussing about animals we could do without. Useless animals, Will Quah and Shazmin were calling them, and in their list were animals like pandas, dugongs, koalas, dogs, cats, cockroaches, mosquitoes and even possums. Now, in which category would you place political rats?

That set me thinking. Useless animals? Yes, I do agree that for some of them, they don't seem to have any commercial value at all except to look cute and bring in the money. But dogs are needed to chase away cats, and cats are needed to chase away birds, and birds are needed to eliminate some insect pests. So dogs and cats are not entirely useless.

Pandas? Koalas? Now that's another different cup of tea. In fact, the mention of pandas brought me thinking about a story I read just the other day ago. Of course, it had to happen in China. Where else?


But there is one problem. Nobody is sure whether or not the mating tapes make any difference. "We don't know if it's useful for pandas or not," says Dr Hou. "Some pandas are interested. Others are not interested. They prefer to eat or rest - and not pay attention to the video." So, the reserve experimented by playing the video to the pandas. The story concludes: