As China’s National Treasure, the giant panda is one of the rarest animals in the world. The total number is estimated to be around 1,500 (some people say even fewer than 1000 whereas others will say 2000+), both living in the wild and in captivity, and 80% of all pandas live in Sichuan province.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or simply Chengdu Panda Base, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas, located just outside Chengdu. It was founded in 1987 and it started with 6 giant pandas that were rescued from the wild. By 2008, it had 124 panda births, and the captive panda population had grown to 83. This breeding centre is the only one of its kind in the world.
So no, I didn't see pandas in the wild. That's an incredibly hard thing to do --- firstly because there simply aren't very many of them but also because the areas where they do live in the wild are not that easy to get to. So seeing them in the wild remains on my "to do" list - but it was great to see them here and see the efforts the Chengdu Panda Base is making towards breeding and conservation.
The panda, also known as the giant panda to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order 'Carnivora', the panda's diet is 99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may also eat honey, eggs, fish, yams, other leaves, oranges or bananas, along with specially prepared food.
In the wild, the giant panda is a terrestrial animal and primarily spends its life roaming and feeding in the bamboo forests. Giant pandas are generally solitary, each adult has a defined territory, and a female is not tolerant of other females in her range. Pandas communicate through vocalization and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine. They are able to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices, but do not establish permanent dens. For this reason, pandas do not hibernate, instead they move to elevations with warmer temperatures. Social encounters occur primarily during the brief breeding season in which pandas in proximity to one another will gather. After mating, the male leaves the female alone to raise the cub. The panda is usually a very docile animal, and the few times it has attacked humans, it is assumed that was out of irritation rather than aggression.
Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight, and may be reproductive until age 20. The mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into estrus, which lasts for two or three days and only occurs once a year. Copulation time is short, ranging from 30 seconds to five minutes, and the gestation period ranges from 95 to 160 days.
If twins are born, usually only one survives in the wild. The mother will select the stronger of the cubs, and the weaker will die. The mother is thought to be unable to produce enough milk for two cubs, since she does not store fat. The father has no part in helping raise the cub.
When the cub is first born, it is pink, blind, and toothless, weighing only 90 to 130 grams, or about 1/800th of the mother's weight. For three to four hours, the mother may leave the den to feed, which leaves the cub defenceless. One to two weeks after birth, the cub's skin turns gray where its hair will eventually become black. A month after birth, the colour pattern of the cub's fur is fully developed. The cub begins to crawl at 75 to 80 days: and mothers play with their cubs by rolling and wrestling with them. The cubs are able to eat small quantities of bamboo after six months, though mother's milk remains the primary food source for most of the first year. Giant panda cubs weigh 45 kg at one year, and live with their mothers until they are 18 months to two years old. The interval between births in the wild is generally two years.
Now that you've read through all that (or didn't), here are just a few panda photos!
It was a very hot day when we were there, and when it's hot the pandas usually go indoors, into air-conditioned buildings - so that's where they were in these photos. In the wild pandas usually spend about half the day foraging for food and feeding, and about 40% of every day sleeping. These lucky pandas don't have to find their own food --- but they still like their sleep!
The red panda, not related at all to giant pandas, is a small arboreal mammal also native to southwestern China. It is related to raccoons, skunks and weasels. About the size of a fox, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It feeds mainly on bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. The red panda has been classified as 'vulnerable' because its population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals. Although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries, their numbers in the wild continue to decline mainly due to habitat loss, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
After leaving the beautiful pandas we went back into the city of Chengdu again,
and went to a tea house. An old Chengdu saying goes, "Sunny days are rare, but tea houses are abundant". Tea houses have played diverse social roles in the history of Chengdu. Locals are passionate about going to tea houses, not only for tea, snacks, and entertainment, but also for social gatherings and business meetings. Tea houses have also served as unofficial courthouses where local people resolved conflicts under advisement of community leaders. Traditional tea houses in Chengdu usually feature bamboo chairs and wooden tables and offer a wide variety of teas. Modern tea houses can be spotted on almost every city corner. The price for tea varies from 5 RMB (approx. $1.00) to several hundred. Besides tea and snacks, almost all tea houses offer majiang sets (also called mahjong), tables, and sometimes separate majiang rooms. Most locals go to tea houses to play majiang with friends. Some luxury tea houses in Chengdu also offer live entertainment such as Sichuan opera shows. Although I'm not much of a tea drinker I certainly did learn a lot, particularly about how to properly make tea, and I tasted some very different and unusual teas!
Back on a plane again tonight, and we landed in Xi'an - which is famous for the ...
Sorry, you'll just have to read my next post.
No comments:
Post a Comment