Panda Pride

We all know that China is a prideful country. They showed the world exactly how important national face is when they put on a spectacular show at the 2008 Olympics. There is one thing that China holds so dear to her heart that it has become the face of a nation, pandas.

Pandas are a slow and deliberate creatures and arguable one of the cutest animals to grace the planet. Pandas are seen as lazy bears that wake early in the morning to eat then snooze the rest of the day away under the cool shade of their bamboo leaves and trees. What you might not know, though, is that the reason pandas are lazy is the same reason why they have been skirting the extinction lists, they have no stomachs. Their lack of stomach is only one of the unique characteristics that make these animals so fascinating.

Chengdu is an incredible city that anyone would benefit from visiting, but the Panda Research Base is most likely the main attraction to the Sichuan city. To visit the pandas you must think like a panda. They wake up early in the morning to eat and that is the most, and only, time they are active during the day so to see them you will need to get there around 8am. However, it is worth the early wake up call.

Strolling down the path is like walking through a cut out version of natural China, giving the nature reserve an appropriate title. It is a tremendously funded research facility that specializes in breeding and caring for the country’s treasure. There are three different age ranges for the pandas, baby, teen and adult who can only live to the young age of about 26 years old. With the naturally lazy demeanor pandas are easy targets in the wild for predators, which is one main reason why it is important to create a great safe environment for them to thrive and flourish.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the tour is watching the young pandas wrestle and play after their morning meal of bamboo leaves and shoots. They tug on each others ears push and flounder over each other in a slow and deliberate manner. Watching their chubby fluffy figures pandering around with their brothers and sisters is a delight for all those that gather around to watch. Ooohs and awwws from the crowds can only begin to express the joy that can be gained from watching these precious animals enjoy their daily routines. Overall the Panda Reserve is a wonderful facility that has done an amazing job capturing and preserving the pleasure of the pandas, giving the world an opportunity to share in China’s pride.