Panda Blog
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2006
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16
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Trip End
May 01, 2007
Cheng Du,
China
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Okay, quick blog this one - it's the piccies that are more fun. In Cheng Du at the moment which is famous for it's food and of course, it's Panda's. The mountains near here are one of the few places left in China where the Giant Panda can still be found in it's natural habitat. However to see them there, takes days of trekking and no small amount of luck. So, next best thing, in Cheng Du is the world's biggest Panda research and breeding centre and there's only one word to describe it - aaawwwww!!!!
Quick nature lesson - the Giant Panda and the Red Panda are kind of related, though there's some debate as to whether they come from the racoon or bear family. They share similarities in that they're both carnivores who now have a pretty much veg only diet
Always brush after lunch....
. They also both have a false thumb that enables them to grip the bamboo when they eat and climb. The name Panda derives from the Nepalese word for bamboo eater (cause they both eat a lot of the stuff!). As an aside for the IT geeks amongst you, one of the nicknames for the Red Panda is "Firefox", which is what the web browser is called after. The Cheng Du centre had both Red and Giant Panda's and has active breeding programmes for both. You're able to see into the nursery and if there's a cuter sight in the world than a little Giant Panda being bottle fed by a maternity nurse, I don't know what it is - sorry, but no pics were allowed.
And, umm that's it - have a look at the pictures and go aaawwww a lot!
Rob
