Pandas - Chengdu, China

April 4 - I was picked up at 7:30 and then we went to pick another person (Gordon) from Australia. And off we went to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Center. The best time of day is the morning and it was awesome there were so many pandas all eating or walking or sleeping in trees. We saw many grown pandas.

2-3 year old pandas

Then we saw a bunch of 2-3 year old cubs eating bamboo. It was really cool to see so many all together as they are solitary animals. They looked just like stuffed animals. They eat about 8 times a day and of all the bamboo they eat they really only consume 20% of it and poop out the rest.  After they eat they drink water and the combination of the water and the bamboo basically results in making the pandas tired and this is why they then sleep!

Mei Lan is the panda born in the USA and is the national symbol of the WWF!  When he/she was brought to China he could not understand what the caregivers were saying because he only new English!

Qing He was a lucky panda as she was born a few days before Beijing was named host of the Olympics 2004.

We went to see the red pandas too. They are actually not even pandas they are part of the raccoon family. I didn't really care too much for them.

Since this place is the only place in the world to hold a baby panda that is exactly what I did for a small fee!!! Actually it was a set price donation so says the certificate I received!  I had to put these blue slippers over my shoes and put on a blue scrub thing and plastic gloves. The baby was about 9 months old. I just realized I did not find out its name, the whole process was quite rushed and you could only the panda for a minute!  But she was so soft and fluffy!  She was placed on my lap but didn't feel that much heavier than one and half year old baby. They gave the baby panda bamboo with honey on it.

I gave the people your own camera and they took pictures for me unfortunately Gordon nor Green could come in with me and no video allowed. It was really special and totally worth the price!  While others were getting their photos taken I got some great close up photos of the panda. I got a certificate, a video of pandas being born and a grey hoodie sweatshirt.

Afterwards we watched a movie which gave us more information about why pandas are decreasing in the wild and what the research center is doing. You know panda bears are an old animal they have been around for 8 million years!!!

Her paw was in my hand!!!!!  Ahhhhh!

And then we headed back to town. What a great first half of my day!

Yes that is a real panda!!!!!!