PANDA SANCTUARY

Lovable pandas

A giant panda sanctuary, located in their native habitat, lies about an hour outside the city of Chengdu, China, in Sichuan Province. We learned that the sanctuary has the largest number of pandas anywhere in the world, and is trying to restore panda populations.     The Research Base started operations in 1990 and opened to the public in 1995. Hunting, habitat encroachment, disappearing bamboo habitat, solitary lifestyles, very few fertile days, and natural disasters  all contributed to the panda becoming endangered in 1949. There are only 1000 pandas living in the wild. The panda’s only predator is man and insects that sting and inflict pain.

A docent told us, “Panda means bamboo eater. Presently 40 pandas reside here. A breeding area will eventually allow   the pandas to roam and hopefully procreate. The present area covers 36 hectares, and the projected breeding area will reach 230 hectares. The pandas feed in the morning between 8-10:00 AM, so that is the best time to visit. Otherwise their predominant pastime is sleeping. Pandas are by nature solitary animals and are reluctant to mate. Today pandas are rare in the wild where their life span averages 15 years compared to 30 years in captivity. In captivity artificial insemination is most often used in the effort to increase the panda population, and births in captivity are increasing. A female panda is fertile only 2-3 days a year!”

Work and research on test tube embryos has taken place in recent years. Noise outside the maternity wards of the nature reserves is kept to a minimum as noise apparently increases the frequency of miscarriage. Speaking is even kept to a whisper.

The docent continued, “Pandas mate at 4-5 years. Mama carries her baby 4-6 months. In the wild birthing takes place in caves, so in the research centers cave-like areas have been carved out of large tree stumps. A hairless, blind, baby panda, about the size of a rat, weighs only three ounces at birth. If the baby survives the first few days it has a good chance of maturing. Female pandas often reject their babies and in the wild is the biggest cause of infant mortality.  In captivity when mom rejects her offspring there are doctor/researchers to hand feed and care for the baby, resulting in a high survival rate. When the female does become a mom, usually after her second birth, she is a gentle attentive mother constantly cuddling and licking her infant.  Weaned at 7 months the babies are introduced to the bamboo forests, then slowly into the wild. In the sanctuary the pandas are fed bread, milk powder and apples in addition to bamboo. At one time pandas ate meat, but as the climate changed they adapted.

“At ten days old the extra digit on the front paws is evident. This extra digit allows the animal to grasp and manage its bamboo diet. By six weeks the baby can see and has accumulated fur the coloring of the panda. While nursing,, mothers can become aggressive. In spite of the panda's cuddly appearance, it has long sharp claws and strong teeth. Because an all bamboo diet is not the most nourishing, a panda in the wild spends 16 hours a day feeding, eating up to 40 pounds of bamboo a day, to obtain adequate nourishment. It is a very adaptable animal.”

Although quite near sighted the panda has an acute sense of smell and hearing. Pandas do not hibernate because the bamboo diet does not provide enough fuel for hibernation.

The sanctuary not  only is large but also beautiful. It is well laid out with paved walkways. We saw pandas at all ages. They were eating and the babies just hammed it up for our cameras. Moats kept them safe and helped remove the human urge to pet the darling creatures. It was fun to watch pandas climb a tree. They hug the tree and inch up caterpillar-style a bit at a time. They look like a big furry ball hugging a tree. They come down the same way.

We spent a lot of time here, and did a lot of walking within the sanctuary. It was a delightful memorable morning.

The museum exhibits had English captions, which was a welcome bonus. The gift shop sold good quality merchandise.