Description
Photographed with full access permission from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda at Bifengxia, this image captures a semi-wild individual in its naturalistic forest habitat at the moment of bamboo manipulation — the panda using its pseudo-thumb (an enlarged sesamoid bone) with remarkable precision to position a bamboo stem for consumption. The photograph was made with a 400mm lens in diffuse forest light, the pale green bamboo background providing a natural context that communicates the panda’s forest ecology. The image has been licensed for use by WWF China and the Chengdu Research Base and is available with contextual conservation information text for educational and awareness campaign use.
