LEAF-go-VSO   

The Pandas

Visit to the Panda Breeding and Research Station, Chengdu, Sichuan Province
29th April 2006

The pandas seem to have a cruel sense of humour. This one ambled out to his pile of breakfast bamboo and promptly sat down with his back to the crowd of onlookers!

It was not difficult to find an enclosure with more obliging inhabitants though. We had some great views of the pandas munching their way through mountainous piles of tender bamboo shoots.

Freda and Edie were mesmerized. So were some of the pandas!

In Communist China, I suppose it's not surprising that the 4th line of this hymn quotation was omitted! Other signs urged visitors to be quiet and not unduly disturb the pandas. This request was of course ignored by all the Chinese tour groups who arrived en masse after us...

We discovered that the going rate for cuddling a baby Giant Panda was a whopping 1200 yuan. Mmmm...

This baby (above left) covered its eyes when it was being taken inside for its cuddle. The other, cheaper, option was a Red Panda cuddle - a bargain at 50 yuan! Freda and Edie were keen to get their hands on one - though Freda had to wear a surgical coat and rubber gloves! Look at that lovely long tail!

Later, Freda and Edie got to cuddle their very own baby giant pandas!