Panda-Monium by Bindi Irwin Page A

railing along a wide, rickety verandah. Colourful prayer flags fluttered from the gables.
    Keen to get to the meeting, Chandra strode straight past.
    Bindi and Vicki looked at each and laughed. They had never known anyone to walk as quickly as Chandra.
    â€˜Good luck!’ Bindi called out.
    Chandra stopped and turned.
    â€˜Exactly where is the meeting?’ Vicki asked as she pulled the pack off her back.
    â€˜In the big house at the other end of the village,’ Chandra said. ‘It belongs to Mr Ming-Ma, the head of the committee.’
    Bindi raised an eyebrow. ‘Sounds like he’s the man to talk to,’ she said.
    â€˜Yes. By all reports he is a very clever fellow.’ Chandra clasped his hands together. ‘Let’s hope I return with good news.’ He bowed, then set off again, walking even more quickly than before.
    Exhausted, Bindi and Vicki slowly climbed the old wooden stairs to the teahouse verandah.
    They were met by a smiling Finju Sherpa, the teahouse manager. ‘Good afternoon!’ he said. ‘Anyone for tea?’
    After Vicki and Bindi had freshened up, Finju poured three cups of hot milky brew, and sat down at the table on the verandah with his two guests. ‘I understand you have come from Australia to see some red pandas?’ He smiled. ‘News travels fast in our little village.’
    Vicki explained their mission and told the teahouse manager about Chandra’s meeting with the local leaders.
    Finju listened intently, nodding now and then.
    â€˜Have you seen any red pandas around here lately, Finju?’ Bindi asked, before taking a sip of tea.
    Finju shook his head. ‘Not lately. But I believe they’re still out there,’ he said. ‘The trouble is, dogs and hawks do see them and so it makes them easy prey.’
    Bindi shuddered. She’d read about this problem. When people cleared bamboo and felled trees, predators like dogs and hawks could more easily see – and catch – the pandas.
    At that moment Vicki jumped to her feet. ‘Chandra’s back!’
    Bindi looked up to see Chandra walking along the road towards them. ‘I hope he convinced them,’ she said to Finju and Vicki. ‘Red pandas really need their own sanctuary so they can be safe from all those things.’
    Crossing not only her fingers on both hands but her toes on both feet as well, Bindi waited for Chandra to arrive.

Chandra climbed the stairs, his face drawn. Finju showed him to a chair and poured him a cup of tea.
    Bindi couldn’t hold out any longer. Her heart was pounding with anxiety. ‘What did they say?’
    Chandra drank his tea in silence for a moment. Finally, he spoke. ‘Mr Ming-Ma said that they don’t need a sanctuary because there are no pandas in the forest.’
    â€˜No pandas?’ Vicki was incredulous. ‘Chandra, what about our evidence?’
    â€˜That’s the worst bit. He said we’d made it all up. That we wouldn’t know panda droppings if we fell into them.’
    Bindi was shocked. ‘No one knows panda poo better than Vicki,’ she said vehemently.
    Chandra shook his head. ‘Try telling that to Mr Ming-Ma.’
    He went back to drinking his tea. When he’d finished he turned to Finju. ‘What can you tell us about this Ming-Ma? The villagers seem to respect him. And he was very persuasive at the meeting . . .’
    Finju rested his chin on his hands. He was no longer smiling. ‘They do respect him,’ he said. ‘But a lot of that respect is due to his wealth and power. Chetan Ming-Ma owns more land and cattle than anyone else. And because he owns so many cattle, he needs a lot of bamboo to feed them. He also needs a lot of timber to burn to make cheese, which he sells down in the town. So you see, he wants to be able to harvest bamboo and timber from any part of the forest whenever he likes.’
    â€˜But does everyone agree with