Giant Panda and Thylacine (Tasmanian Wolf) on a Carousel in Paris

Paris ~ October 14, 2008
The Dodo Carousel, Jardin des Plantes

We still have giant pandas in the world, but only about 1,600 to 3,000 of them, which is not many, especially when they are so hard to breed in captivity and they are not breeding well in the wild. We no longer have the fascinating marsupial - a thylacine, Tasmanian wolf, or Tassie tiger. We can thank modern humans in our egocentric stupidity for eradicating this unique animal (considered to be a pest) in the 1930s. Unsubstantiated reports of their possible existence persisted until the 1960s, but the thylacine was offically listed as extinct in 1982; the rule is that extinction is declared 50 years after the last definitively-living animal has died.

Here's Lee studying the sign near the carousel. I thought the artwork and explanations were terrific, allowing this entertaining carousel to educate and enrich those who cared to take a look. I also thought the drawings were quite nice. I've left the bottom photo very large in case you want to click on it and see the text and the drawings. For other animals on the carousel, click on the "dodo carousel" keyword below.

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