Because of its rarity and the remoteness of its habitat, the giant panda became the subject of a contest to see who among the Western world would have the privilege of being the first to shoot and kill one. Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt, sons of the famous American President Teddy Roosevelt, claimed this honor in April 1928. The Roosevelt Expedition was sponsored by the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History and financed by William V. Kelly, one of the museum's patrons. The panda they killed was an old male; both brothers affirm that they had fired jointly to kill it, and thus both claim to be the first Westerners to shoot a panda. The adventure was published in this book Trailing the Giant Panda. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.