The Care and Feeding of Pandas

August 18, 2014 at 8:00 am · Filed under asia, china, international travel, tourism, travel and tagged: research base of giant panda breeding, travel writing

By Linda Tancs

Less than 2000 in number, the giant panda (native only to the six major mountain ranges in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China) is a national and international treasure subject to intense conservation efforts.  That’s why the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding was established in March 1987.  The 92-acre verdant parkland is dotted with ornamental green lawns and greens, wild bamboo forests, woods, man-made dens, rocks, caves and plant pits along rivers, lakes, and brooks, all intended to mimic the gentle creatures’ natural environment.  Visitors get a close look at their movements through winding paths flanked with bamboo and ornamental plants.  Red pandas (called “lesser pandas”), a much smaller cousin, live at the base as well, as do other endangered wildlife, including swans, peacocks, birds, butterflies and hundreds of insects.

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