熊猫!! (PANDAS!!)

This blog post is going to be short and sweet and mostly pictures because I think the pictures say more then I ever could about these adorable fluff balls of animals! On our week long trip to Chengdu our last day was spent at the Chengdu Panda Base! This facility is responsible for maintaining a safe habitat for these endangered animals as well as aiding in the reproduction of the species. The park is set up like a zoo where you can walk from one enclosure to the other and see panda after panda after panda! It was so much fun! And (for a pretty penny) I was able to hold an 8 month old baby panda! He was so cute and quite happy just sitting there on my lap for a little bit!

Before we get to the pictures here are some random facts about pandas!

• There are only around 2,000 pandas left in the wild making them endangered animals
• Once in captivity pandas lose the will to reproduce which forces researchers and habitats such as the Chengdu Panda Base to artificially inseminate the females in order to continue growing the population
• When a panda has twins, the mother will select the stronger cub to feed (because she only produces enough milk for one cub) and will leave the other to die
• 99% of a panda's diet it bamboo and can eat between 20-30 pounds of it in a single day
• Every panda that lives outside of China is being "rented" by the country it is living in. Every panda in the world is technically the property of China.
• The Chinese word for panda is pronounced "xiong mao".

Now here are some pictures of pandas!!