A visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding was a special treat during my trip to Chengdu. With a last name of Pan is was inevitable that Pandas were a favorite in our stuffed animal collection and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit them in person while I was in Chengdu. Not speaking a word of Chinese I was a bit intimidated to venture too far from town on my own so I hired a guide and driver to escort me to the Research Base. For anyone planning a similar trip I would advise saving the money on a guide and taking a taxi directly to the park as its well organized for foreigners. A tram is available to take you from the entrance uphill to the area that houses the pandas but my guide and I chose to walk the half mile through the beautiful bamboo forest. The first building we visited was the nursery where we saw six two-month old pandas sleeping in a playpen. I couldn't take my eyes off of them as some lay sprawled out stretching their legs behind them while others snuggled up curled into a little ball.
When I was finally tear myself away, we walked by several enclosures where we could watch and photograph the pandas as they played on bamboo structures, climbed trees and snacked on bamboo. I especially enjoyed watching them as they seemed to slowly flow off the bamboo structure on their way to get lunch. Slowly, one at a time, an adolescent panda on the bamboo structure would decide it was his turn to descend; lying down, either on his back or stomach, he would first look over the edge of the structure. Then slowly one arm and then another arm would reach down for support on a cross beam. Ever so slowly, the rest of the body slowly poured off the platform until the rear legs were all that was left on the platform. Then while supporting himself with his front legs, the hind legs slowly slid off the platform until finally the entire panda was on the ground. One by one they made their way down and out of sight to have their lunch. At another enclosure we watched as the pandas ate, ate and ate their fill of bamboo. They looked so wonderfully relaxed as they reached up for a stalk of bamboo and then rolled onto their backs, almost lying down to chew on their food. They have rather short digestive tracts only absorbing 20% of the nutrition available in their food so they are continuously eating, consuming between 25 to 85 pounds of bamboo per day depending on their size.
Having come this far, when I was presented with the opportunity to step into one of the enclosures and have some one-on-one time with the panda, I couldn't resist. After paying a hefty donation in cash and then donning a hospital gown and booties to protect the panda from germs, our group was led into the enclosure. An adult panda was led into the enclosure and then, knowing what awaited her, walked right up to a wooden bench and sat down. She knew we'd be feeding her apples and bamboo dipped in honey and happily let us sit there with her as one at a time we stroked her back and had our pictures taken with her. I rubbed her neck and felt her lean back as she closed her eyes and seemed to relax. I loved her fluffy yet bristly fur and noticed how my reality seemed to blur with my imagination as I thought of the cartoon Kung Fu Panda and all the stuffed animals we had at home; what a surreal experience this was!
