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Photos: Giant Pandas and Friends Chill Out in Their Wild Habitat

It's a rare treat to see them in the wild.
Image via WWF China / WWF-Canon

Giant pandas are some of the most loveable mammals on Earth, but unfortunately their habitats in China are under continual threat. It's a rare treat to see them in the wild, and thanks to a camera trap project by the World Wildlife Fund, we've got some fresh photos of the bamboo-eaters doing their thing.

Image via WWF China / WWF-Canon

According to the WWF, these photos are part of a species survey of southwestern Sichuan Province in China that's been running since 2011. Using infrared-triggered camera traps, the team from WWF China imaged a number of endangered species, including red pandas and leopard cats.

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Image via WWF China / WWF-Canon

The traps, which are triggered when an animal cruises by, were set up in giant panda reserves to help showcase how a reserve initially laid out to help the giant panda cause ends up supporting tons of other species. China, due to its largesse and variety of habitats, has an incredible amount of biodiversity, and is one of the 17 so-called megadiverse countries.

Image via WWF China / WWF-Canon

“The images demonstrate that through the conservation of the giant panda, a flagship umbrella species, we can also protect other threatened wildlife from the same habitat and preserve biological diversity,” Fan Zhiyong, director of the WWF species program in China, said in a release. (By the way, you can check out more photos here.)

In other words, the project serves to highlight why halo species, like pandas, tigers, or elephants are so important: By rallying people around a cause for one charismatic animal, you end up supporting all the skinks and dung beetles and weird-looking rodents that share their habitat.

Image via WWF China / WWF-Canon

Even then, it doesn't always work. Climate change is exacerbating a rift in giant panda habitats that may leave one rare subspecies without food. Meanwhile, the Amur tiger, the world's largest cat, has been threatened by poaching in China and Russia, where camera traps are being used to catch poachers. It's a never-ending struggle to balance the needs of humans with protecting wild lands, one which countries like Nepal have figured out. Elsewhere, camera trap programs like this one help officials understand just how much biodiversity preserves can save.

@derektmead

For more on camera traps:

Watch an Extremely Rare Snow Leopard Get Nosy with a Camera

Check Out This Tiger Cub Caught on a Hidden Camera

Worldwide Camera Traps Measure Mammal Diversity