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Today was panda day! We met our guide Tony or as we named him TinTin the adventure boy (due to his excitable nature). He planned for us to see the teenage pandas being fed but unfortunately they were refurbing the outdoor space so there was nothing to see. After the dissapointment the next thing to do was to book my morning time slot for holding a baby panda. I was number 12 in the morning session and we had an hour free before it started. Ant and I went and saw the nursery where there were 5 1-2 month old pandas you could see through the window. There was also an enclosure for 1 year+ pandas which we walked around, it had about 7 mini pandas hanging in trees and play fighting with each other.
Then it was 10am...panda time! First we were taken to view a slideshow about panda babies by one of the keepers. Followed by dressing us up with bags to cover our shoes, gloves and what looked like a surgigical gown, they then taught us how to prepare the bamboo shoots for the panda. The 1 year old baby panda was bought out, her name was Sa and she weighed about 23kg! She was placed on the woodern bench and we could sit next to her and place our arms around her. I was 12th in line and when it finally got to me I had my photos taken and Sa even placed her arm on my knee. Just as number 13 began her turn Sa had, had enough and climbed down from the bench ready to return to her enclosure. So the keepers decided it was the best time to 'change the panda'. This time bringing out a boy, who was not going to play ball. He started by diving head first down the back of the woodern bench. Then in an attempt to settle him the keepers gave him bamboo with honey on the end, he responded by jumping down from the bench.Unfortunately causing the keeper to spill honey all over him, the panda then made a run for it and had 3 keepers running around him. It was like being at the circus and funny to watch the panda outsmart its keepers, this led to the third panda change in the end.
A fantastic experience overall and a great birthday present too (thank you), I also received several souvenirs as part of it. After I was finished I found Ant and TinTin waiting for me so I could collect my photos and we could continue walking around the centre. It was a shame that the guide did not do some of this with Ant while I was away, instead they waited an hour on a bench discussing the guides political views against communism!
We managed to skip the video and panda museum at the centre and enjoy more time seeing real life pandas/red pandas before a quick lunch and a transfer to the airport for a flight to Xi'an.
- comments
Deborah Clements I just love this photo! Great to hear of the antics they get up to - real characters! This is on mt bucket list for sure! x
steve what a way to spend your birthday, so lovely! Love the photo!