Giant pandas
The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) is located in the northeast part of the city, a short cab ride away from the city centre. The base holds the largest population of captively-bred giant pandas in the world (as well as some red pandas) and, as the name suggests, conducts research into panda breeding, including genetic typing to match potential mates. The site provides a simulated natural environment for artificially-bred pandas, with separate enclosures for cubs, and sub-adult and adult bears. Newborns are kept in a nursery (in cots - very cute.....).
The best time to visit is between 8.30am and 10am, when the animals feed. Being the outwardly lazy animals that they are, pandas seemingly do little other than eat and lounge around (secretly my ambition in life), so if you don't catch them while they're munching, you're unlikely to see them move. As the book implies, the giant panda eats shoots and leaves. Although there are some 90 different types of bamboo, the panda appears to be quite discerning, favouring only about 20 of these. Bizarrely, pandas appear to be rather stubborn eaters, eschewing an active, hunter-gatherer carnivorous lifestyle in favour of chowing down and munching on 15 to 20 kilos of bamboo a day instead, despite the fact that they lack enzymes to digest grasses efficiently. They're also fastidious breeders; females ovulate once a year, between March and May, leaving a period of only two or three days when fertilization can occur. Mothers give birth to twins, but usually abandon one of the babies, who dies after a few days. Giant pandas are indigenous to southwest China, namely the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and Tibet, with an estimated 1600 specimens left in the wild.
The general appeal of pandas appears to be partly due to certain similarities with humans, both in their facial expression and anatomic function; unlike other bears, pandas possess a "pseudo-thumb", which I'm told involves a sesamoid bone. This thumb enables pandas to grasp objects much like humans, and they use this ability to grab bamboo shoots, using their mouths to strip off the leaves (see pictures below). It's really rather mesmerizing. They also appear to be designed to sit on their ass for extended periods of time, which humans are also known to do. All of this makes me think that humans must, at least in sentiment, be the direct descendants of pandoid ancestors.
The Chengdu Breeding Centre recently released Xiang Xiang, a tagged four-year old male, into the wild, at the nearby Wolong Reserve. Sadly, he doesn't seem to have fared very well, and it's reported that he's been bullied by wild males. Spare a thought for the poor guy....
A cautionary note: although getting to the Research Base by taxi is fairly straightforward (taxis in Chengdu are metered), getting a taxi back into the city doesn't seem to be. The drivers loitering around there seem to make a business out of conning tourists by not using their meters. Private drivers might give you a better deal. A ride into the city centre should cost your around 30RMB (15RMB=1GBP).
The best time to visit is between 8.30am and 10am, when the animals feed. Being the outwardly lazy animals that they are, pandas seemingly do little other than eat and lounge around (secretly my ambition in life), so if you don't catch them while they're munching, you're unlikely to see them move. As the book implies, the giant panda eats shoots and leaves. Although there are some 90 different types of bamboo, the panda appears to be quite discerning, favouring only about 20 of these. Bizarrely, pandas appear to be rather stubborn eaters, eschewing an active, hunter-gatherer carnivorous lifestyle in favour of chowing down and munching on 15 to 20 kilos of bamboo a day instead, despite the fact that they lack enzymes to digest grasses efficiently. They're also fastidious breeders; females ovulate once a year, between March and May, leaving a period of only two or three days when fertilization can occur. Mothers give birth to twins, but usually abandon one of the babies, who dies after a few days. Giant pandas are indigenous to southwest China, namely the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and Tibet, with an estimated 1600 specimens left in the wild.
The general appeal of pandas appears to be partly due to certain similarities with humans, both in their facial expression and anatomic function; unlike other bears, pandas possess a "pseudo-thumb", which I'm told involves a sesamoid bone. This thumb enables pandas to grasp objects much like humans, and they use this ability to grab bamboo shoots, using their mouths to strip off the leaves (see pictures below). It's really rather mesmerizing. They also appear to be designed to sit on their ass for extended periods of time, which humans are also known to do. All of this makes me think that humans must, at least in sentiment, be the direct descendants of pandoid ancestors.
The Chengdu Breeding Centre recently released Xiang Xiang, a tagged four-year old male, into the wild, at the nearby Wolong Reserve. Sadly, he doesn't seem to have fared very well, and it's reported that he's been bullied by wild males. Spare a thought for the poor guy....
A cautionary note: although getting to the Research Base by taxi is fairly straightforward (taxis in Chengdu are metered), getting a taxi back into the city doesn't seem to be. The drivers loitering around there seem to make a business out of conning tourists by not using their meters. Private drivers might give you a better deal. A ride into the city centre should cost your around 30RMB (15RMB=1GBP).
posted by CCT at 11:55 am
1 Comments:
Sounds like a good life to me... the sitting around and eating part. And sleeping...
RS
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