Time to Change the Collective Noun for Pandas!

 At some point in the 1990s or early 2000s, someone, somewhere on the internet gave the giant panda the collective noun “an embarrassment of pandas” and it stuck.  No one knows, and don't ask the pandas.  They're too busy rolling downhill. This collective noun, frankly, denigrates the panda population – put simply, it’s a slur! Our sibling site the Ark inSpace has decided to do something about this, making an appeal for a populist change. As you might expect from Ark, there is a wonderful collection of panda pictures to accompany the article. You can even vote for your alternative collective noun, or suggest one yourself.  Why not pop over and vote?

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Pandas World Tour Takes Over Taipei

There were a few heads being scratched in the port city of Taipei recently when the streets of the city were invaded by 1600 papier-mâché pandas. However, this delightful sight did not signify an attempt by the black-patched bear to take over the city (in the manner of the Dolphins of Simpsons fame). Rather it is the latest stage in the Pandas World Tour, created by the World Wildlife Fund to highlight the plight of endangered animals around our pale blue dot of a planet.

Image Credit Flickr User shawn.hsu