• Panda Centre

• General Overview

  

  The Panda Breeding And Research Centre in Chengdu is the place to see pandas in China, and therefore the world.

  The general public can see both giant pandas and red pandas up close as well as other endangered species. There is also a small museum just inside the entrance which is worth a visit once you have seen enough of the cuties.

  Attractions For Visitors

  The Panda Centre is located in the suburbs of Chengdu. Fortunately, it is now well connected to the city centre by road and most visitors should be able to get there in under an hour. It is well worth arriving early as the pandas (both species) tend to be less active later in the day. This is especially true on hot summer days.

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  The Red Pandas

  Let's start with the lesser-known Red Pandas. These have an enclosure of their own which is often a scene of great excitement as visitors discover this distant but delightful cousin to the better known Giant Panda for the first time.

  

  Red Pandas are found in forests on both sides of the Himalaya. Their numbers are not so critical but they are still threatened by loss of suitable habitat.

  As a species Red Pandas defy classification being related to skunks, badgers, weasels and raccoons.

  Like their black and white cousins, Red Pandas eat certain kinds of bamboo as their staple. They are a little more adventurous and supplement this with fruit, fungi, berries and various other bits of vegetation. Red Pandas need to eat for a considerable part of the day, and typically do so from late afternoon through the night.

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  The Giant Pandas

  Giant Pandas are easily recognised. Portrayed as cute and cuddly they have attained a status as 'toy' animals - which is to forget completely that they are wild animals and quite capable of inflicting a nasty scratch or bite.

  

  Pandas are an endangered species - which is not surprising given that:

  • they only eat a very specialised diet (certain varieties of bamboo);
  • they find mating difficult (the male's penis being shorter than a design spec would deem appropriate); and
  • panda mothers are pretty careless, often crushing their young accidentally.

  That said, the main reason for their rapid decline in the last few hundred years is human incursion into their natural habitats. This has the double effect of reducing the amount of food available and of isolating communities and reducing the opportunities for breeding.

  Much work has been done to try and save the Giant Pandas as a species in the wild. There are now some 40 reserves throughout China and penalties for anyone caught trying to harm them are very severe. Other institutions around the world are also involved. These provide funds as well as ideas on diet, breeding and general wildlife management.

  

  The main enclosures at the centre hold adults for breeding purposes. There is one enclosure for adolescents and this is often the area that attracts the most interest. At this age the pandas are more active and entertaining.

  Babies tend to be born in late summer. These are then on view through windows for at least some of each day.

  In recent years it has become fashionable to pay and have a photo taken with a panda. This activity has been found to be quite lucrative and a useful source of revenue for the centre. The charge is now in the order of 1000 CNY for just a few minutes.

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  Map of the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre

  For those who want some idea of where to find the various enclosures and facilities here is a map of the site:

  
  
  
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• Current Comments

  2 comments so far (post your own)

  Hi Paul
  
  You may take as many photos as you wish. You could easily spend a whole day here if interested in photography. The Giang Pandas are not the only attraction as you can see. Red Pandas are also very photogenic and there is another area for exotic birds.

  Posted by China Journeys on Sat 18 Feb, 2012

  Your photos are wonderful. Is photography encouraged by the centre? I am very patient and animals are usually rewarding subjects given time.

  Posted by Paul on Sat 18 Feb, 2012

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