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What is it about pandas that makes them so endearing to us? Is it their distinctive black-and-white markings? Is it how they're so clumsy that you could accuse them of being drunk? Could it be because both adults and cubs look so cuddly? Whatever the reasons, pandas are popular. So popular than when countries accept pandas on loan from China that this is referred to as 'panda diplomacy'. But we all know that pandas are also endangered and need our help to propagate themselves. Apart from IVF, pandas are even shown 'panda porn' (videos of pandas mating) in the hopes that they will figure out how to do the deed themselves. Anyway, I recently came across this video that, among many things, explains why pandas are clumsy and discusses why/how they evolved to eat bamboo. It is also because of this evolution that pandas in the wild became solitary, which contributes to their dwindling numbers. People have also said that if pandas can't be bothered to help themselves, why should we? It sounds evil almost, that we who are responsible for their shrinking natural habitat should not lift a finger to help them. But could there be a valid point here? Let's say we stopped encroaching on the pandas' territory and left them alone... would nature take its course and result in more pandas being born in the wild? Given the solitary nature of these creatures, it's difficult to say. And if we did somehow manage to leave them and their habitat alone, would we only end up hastening their total demise? Is human intervention truly the only way for pandas to avoid extinction? One thing's for sure: Pandas are cute, and their adorable, cuddly looks will continue to make us try and ensure they remain around for decades to come. – Jeremy (Main image: Lukas W., Unsplash)

SINGAPORE - China will send two pandas to Singapore to mark next year's 20th anniversary of bilateral relations, the city-state's zoo operator said Wednesday. The announcement was made Wednesday evening by President Hu Jintao during a meeting with Singapore President S. R. Nathan, Wildlife Reserves Singapore said in a statement. It said the pandas, a male and female, would arrive in 2011 - a year after the 20th anniversary - and be housed at River Safari, a new attraction being built. They will be loaned to Singapore for 10 years, a spokeswoman for the zoo operator told AFP. Officials with the Chinese delegation to an Asia-Pacific leaders meeting being hosted by Singapore, which Hu will attend, were not immediately able to confirm the statement. China has used panda diplomacy worldwide since the days of the Cold War, most famously when it helped cement a rapprochement with the United States in the early 1970s by sending a pair of the animals. More recently, it sent a pair of pandas to Taiwan late last year amid a thaw in relations between mainland China and the self-ruled island, which split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. China normally demands enormous fees for its pandas. The statement said the panda enclosure in hot and humid Singapore would be climate-controlled to approximate the cooler climes of mountainous southwestern China, the animals' natural habitat. Habitat/ Exhibit The two giant pandas will be housed at Wildlife Reserves Singapore's River Safari. The exhibit will be constructed according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards. It will be fully air-conditioned and the humidity level kept low. The giant pandas will be housed in a 1600 m2 climate-controlled enclosure, off-exhibit holding area, exercise yard and cubbing den. The entire habitat will be air-conditioned with temperature set between 18 to 22˚C and humidity controlled at 50 to 60% all year round. The ambient conditions will be adjusted to simulate the four seasons similar to their natural habitat Diet The Giant Panda