Panda’s are absolutely adorable, right? They look so soft, cuddly and gentle in those pictures you’ve seen on TV. Their unique pattern has become so well known that the World Wildlife Fund has adopted them as their logo.
China has always been thought of as the land of the Pandas (the government here recently took back several beloved pandas that had been on loan to U.S. zoos), so it is perhaps fitting that one of Chengdu’s star attractions is the nearby Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.
This sprawling complex was established to help this endangered species build its numbers back up (though, notably, the bred pandas are eternally kept in captivity). Pandas in every stage of life, from infant to “old and slow” (their words, not mine) are housed there. So let me be the first to assure you that they really are even more adorable in person than their TV personalities would lead you to believe.
I arrived early enough to experience feeding time for the Pandas, which happens very early in the morning. Jubilant bears lounged around munching on branches of bamboo while works scoured the area handing out slices of apple. And when I say lounged, I mean lounged (in quite an adorable fashion, nonetheless!)
In addition to the traditional black and white Pandas, the facility also housed the even rarer Red Pandas, which can best be described as resembling a cute over-sized raccoon. Unlike their larger counterparts, these Pandas bore long tails, though notably, many were missing chunks off their tails, leaving their vertebrae exposed (perhaps a bit too much playful fighting?) .
While we weren’t able to see the infant Pandas in their incubators (yes, they use incubators too), we did see a film on the Panda mating, gestation, birthing and growth process. Interestingly enough, less than 50% of Panda cubs will not survive infancy, as it takes an awful long while for the fur-less critters to even open their eyes, lest they start to take care of themselves.
I am glad to see that the Chinese government has invested to keep their so-called “National Treasure” in such a relatively free environment. The facility is hardly zoo-like and these majestic animals have freedom to roam as they please (generally speaking). And from someone who’d never seen a Panda in person before yesterday, I can tell you that they were pretty darn cool!
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One reply on “Panda Love”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwww… How adorable are they!
Always loved pandas. They’re white, black and Asian at the same time!