This is panda country. Which if you are involved in the tourist industry in Chengdu, is probably just as well because other than this and a few less-than-notable temples there is little else to see here.
Aside from them featuring on the emblem of the World Wildlife Federation, which presumably means they are high on the endangered species list, and some vaguely remembered new footage of the keepers at London Zoo tearing their hair out trying to get a couple of apparently libidoless individuals to strike up a romance, I knew little about pandas before coming on this trip. I know a little more now.
The panda reserve in Chengdu is not going to make you an expert, but it will give you a surprisingly comprehensive appreciation of this creature. Depending on timing a visit here will give you the opportunity to see pandas in all stages of development, from newly born cubs in the incubator labs to mature adults that apparently to spend all their time reclining in their air-conditioned pens chewing on bamboo shoots. And in this heat who can blame them. The highlight of the show is the adolescents, though. If you are lucky enough to be there during the short intervals when they are let out of their pens you will be gifted with a rough-and-tumble display of circus-clown antics that are sure to leave you with aching sides.
It is true that pandas do not help themselves. A life-style that is effectively devoid of natural predators has rendered the panda somewhat lethargic. They typically inhabit the high mountains of central China (above about 1800m) where they spend the majority of their time munching through the monumental quantities of virtually nutritionally valueless bamboo shoots required to maintain their sloth-like existences. They are solitary creatures that rarely come into contact with others of their own kind. Even when they do encounter other individuals the females are stand-offish to such an extent that they would not be out of place in a London pub. Mating, as a consequence, is something of a rarity, and even when successful mating does occur, the pregnancy will usually result in just a single cub. These facts, presumably combined with habitat reduction and hunting, have reduced panda numbers to the extent that the species has trouble propagating itself. There are apparently just 1500 individuals left in the wild and no more than 300 in captivity. They are, in short, on the fast-track to extinction.
This is where the panda reserve in Chengdu comes in. As well as providing a means for the public to experience these creatures they also run a successful breeding programme, utilising AI where necessary, and as part of the visit it is possible to watch a 30 minute very informative video about this.
In the end a visit here will leave you with a better understanding of the plight of the giant panda, a warm spot in your heart for this charismatic creature, and a few more laughs to add to your collection. Well worth the trip.
Aside from them featuring on the emblem of the World Wildlife Federation, which presumably means they are high on the endangered species list, and some vaguely remembered new footage of the keepers at London Zoo tearing their hair out trying to get a couple of apparently libidoless individuals to strike up a romance, I knew little about pandas before coming on this trip. I know a little more now.
The panda reserve in Chengdu is not going to make you an expert, but it will give you a surprisingly comprehensive appreciation of this creature. Depending on timing a visit here will give you the opportunity to see pandas in all stages of development, from newly born cubs in the incubator labs to mature adults that apparently to spend all their time reclining in their air-conditioned pens chewing on bamboo shoots. And in this heat who can blame them. The highlight of the show is the adolescents, though. If you are lucky enough to be there during the short intervals when they are let out of their pens you will be gifted with a rough-and-tumble display of circus-clown antics that are sure to leave you with aching sides.
It is true that pandas do not help themselves. A life-style that is effectively devoid of natural predators has rendered the panda somewhat lethargic. They typically inhabit the high mountains of central China (above about 1800m) where they spend the majority of their time munching through the monumental quantities of virtually nutritionally valueless bamboo shoots required to maintain their sloth-like existences. They are solitary creatures that rarely come into contact with others of their own kind. Even when they do encounter other individuals the females are stand-offish to such an extent that they would not be out of place in a London pub. Mating, as a consequence, is something of a rarity, and even when successful mating does occur, the pregnancy will usually result in just a single cub. These facts, presumably combined with habitat reduction and hunting, have reduced panda numbers to the extent that the species has trouble propagating itself. There are apparently just 1500 individuals left in the wild and no more than 300 in captivity. They are, in short, on the fast-track to extinction.
This is where the panda reserve in Chengdu comes in. As well as providing a means for the public to experience these creatures they also run a successful breeding programme, utilising AI where necessary, and as part of the visit it is possible to watch a 30 minute very informative video about this.
In the end a visit here will leave you with a better understanding of the plight of the giant panda, a warm spot in your heart for this charismatic creature, and a few more laughs to add to your collection. Well worth the trip.
posted by Al at 11:20 pm
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