Panda Panda You Are Cuuute....

The 7th day of tour in Chengdu was more relaxing, not so demanding to our heart compared to that of Huanglong and Mt. Emei at high altitudes with accompanying harsh weather.  Here, temperature was warmer, around 8 - 10oC. We visited the Silk, then the Jade outlets. I anticipated poor response from team-mates at the Silk outlet. To my surprise, there were 6 purchases of silk mattresses, pillows, blankets, each package costing RMB 6 900 eah! And I almost bought one set too, if not for Xiang's objection. Equal purchasing power was manifested at the Jade outlet. This time, I bought a jade pendant for Xiang, the shape of a butterfly, reasonably priced. A few others continued their frenzied buying spree until being reminded repeatedly to proceed to the Giant Panda visit!

Xiang was very excited at the Giant Panda Research Center, Chengdu, because giant pandas are her most favorite pets.

Xiang was all geared to go inside the center.

This Center was set up replicating the pandas' natural habitat to provide the best possible near natural environment for pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks and also for other rare and endangered wild animals. A great variety of plants and around ten thousand clumps of bamboos and bushes have been cultivated to provide for the giant pandas' diet and habitat. 

It should be borne in mind that the Giant Panda Center was established for wildlife and habitat conservation purposes, not as a zoo or as a tourist attraction. Adjust your mind set and you'll learn a lot from it, and enjoy the trip.

The world's most endangered and rarest animals, the giant pandas, endemic to China, are found in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan, and in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. According to a 2007 report, China has 239 Giant Pandas in captivity, 27 living outside the country, and around 1,590 in the wild.

 

Pandas lazing around and munching bamboo.
Giant Pandas are the national treasures of China. They are the luckiest creature on Earth, being amongst the most adored and best recognized animals.They are simply cute and charming, with their characteristic 'malas' mood.

Pinkish baby panda, fragile but in good hands
Newborn pandas, which weigh only 90 - 130 g, or about 0.1% of the mother's weight, are under very intensive veterinary care.

 

Panda panda I love you. 

According to a survey in China, most kids want to be a panda as pandas are under tender care from the moment of birth, and they do not need to worry about livelihood, and best of all, no need to take exams

Xiang posing in the forest of special bamboo, minus the kingfu stunt. This forest is no ordinary forest spot. Remember the very entertaining fighting scene in the show Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon? Well, it was filmed here.

Adult giant pandas spend 10 to 16 hours a day finding and eating bamboo, may eat up to 20 kg of bamboo daily. Giant Panda may eat other foods such as honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, and bananas when available.

Funny isn't it, even the flowers also looked pandas! All of us agreed to name it the panda flower!
Tour guide, Choo Liang (by the way, he was a very good tour leader)  asked whether anyone was interested to take a shot with the panda. For that, you need to pay RMB 1000. Moreover, it is not that simple: you need to wear special gloves, special attire, and sterilized all over, means you can't even touch the pandas with your bare hands, worth the money?


He also told us about an incident in China, that for the death of one giant panda, 3 people were executed. This number certainly shows that as far as China is concern, Giant panda' life's is more valuable than the human's! It is obvious that the Chinese government, in its conservation effort, wants a very strong message sent to deter panda gaming for monetary returns (skin and paws).

Panda Sneezing on You-Tube: 
You must not miss this,  already entertained 3,354,477 viewers by Nov 27 2009.

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