How the quest for the giant panda changed modern conservation

There was a time when the existence of the giant panda was nothing more than legend. A fairytale to those in the western world. Whispers of a black and white beast echoed around the early 1900s. In this episode, my conversation mixes three of my favorite things - bears, mystery, and adventure as I hear an incredible story that Dr Nathalia Holt tells in her book The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers' Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda. But this story is about way more than just two brothers' dangerous search for a mystery species in a strange part of the world. It's also about the moment in history when humans began to understand their real impact on the natural world. A realization that led to the birth of the modern conservation movement. Oh, and there might be some Himalayan bandits and bone-chilling blizzards along the way! Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild . Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media . It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek , and edited by Jim Gates . It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan . Fact checking by Apryle Craig . Our theme music is by Michael Parker .

You can listen to How the quest for the giant panda changed modern conservation online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How the quest for the giant panda changed modern conservation is an episode from The Wild with Chris Morgan by The Wild with Chris Morgan.

This episode is 52:54 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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