PANDAS!

Chengdu is famous for the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, or as our less-than-perfect-English-speaking Waiban (foreign liaison) calls it, the "Panda Basement".  They are up to an almost 100% success rate in keeping the little newborns alive.  They are born at 1/1000th of the weight of their mothers, with a varying gestational period from 3 months to over a year.  Not sure how that happens!!  They can't really tell when the panda is pregnant for sure, because the babies are so small and the pandas so plump that they don't "show".  They test the urine and can tell within 48 hours when they're going to deliver.  There is an interesting documentary to watch about the process and their success.  They're so tiny and ugly when they're born--like rats!  But the most fun is watching these adorable creatures as they eat, play and sleep.

Recognize this poem?  The last line is conspicuously absent.  "The Lord God made them all."

Cute little statue, but where are the live ones? 

Beautiful koi pond in the lovely park gardens.

 

 

 

Pandas!

Panda Women

They lay on their backs to eat, stuffing it in and chewing it up.

 Meet Fatty

These are the two-year-olds.

 

 

Two Year Olds

BABIES!  This little male and female were born in Aug. and Sept.

Reminds me of my grandsons!  These bears are 15 months old.

 Playful Pandas

This is my favorite picture.  The lower bear was sleeping, and the other one wanted to play, so he was trying to wake the napping bear up!

The black and white bears are the most familiar, but this "preserve" also has the beautiful red pandas.

Cute little critters.

 We enjoyed a lovely day here at the center with our BYU Directors and our neighbors.  The weather was nice and the company just as pleasant.  We finally saw the famous pandas!