Chengdu Panda Reserve

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Well... we promised you tales and pictures of Pandas following our visit to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base, so here they are. We hope that seeing these great pics can at least give you a slight taste of what it was like for us to watch these amazing animals up close and in person. For those of you who do not know, the Sichuan province is considered the homeland for the Giant Panda because more pandas are found in the wild here than anywhere else. Chengdu is called the Giant Panda's "hometown" because of the Panda Breeding base. They have done tons of research on how to breed and take care of the Giant Panda. Because of their efforts the Giant Panda is not nearly as close to extinction as it once was. I (Rod) have decided that the Panda's have figured out a pretty good routine for taking a sabbatical. They eat for roughly two hours or so a day, play around a little and then sleep the rest of the time. No wonder they are so content! But then again, all they eat is bamboo and I didn't see any dipping sauce, so maybe I won't change my diet anytime soon. The cubs were the most fun to watch. Like typical pre-schoolers they have more energy than their adult counterparts. They gave us quite a show... romping and climbing and playfully biting each other and falling down into the ravine that surrounds their little playground. People have told us that it is rare to see that much movement out of the pandas so we feel quite privileged.

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Photos

Panda Kindergarten
This center really was called the Panda Kindergarten--all the cubs were under 1 1/2 years old. They were by far the most entertaining--acting much like puppies who pounce on one another, bite ears, and roll around.

Panda cub
Just hangin' around, havin' a good time

Adult Giant Panda eating lunch
It was interesting to be fairly close--hearing the crunching and ripping of the bamboo stalks. The pandas have a movable thumb which enables them to grab the bamboo stalks and hold them while they eat. Sitting back on their haunches, their belly becomes a convenient dinner table.

After eating and before sleeping
The brief period of movement before settling in for the long nap. The pandas scratch their behinds and backs on the protruding sticks. The big guy in front climbed the steps and wrestled a bit with the panda up above before moving on to find his napping location.

Proof we actually were there...
If you squint just right, you can make out the blurry panda in the background.