Panda reserve in China. Panda Research Center in Chengdu (China). When was the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary established and how did it all begin?

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In the wild, giant pandas (lat. Ailuropoda melanoleuca) live only in China, and only in a few mountainous regions of the country. This animal species has long been considered endangered: poaching and uncontrolled deforestation led to the fact that in 1976 only a thousand bamboo bears lived in the wild.

Realizing the problem, the Chinese authorities have taken a number of environmental measures: in particular, more than 60 parks have been created with an increased level of protection. As a result, by 2016 the number of pandas in the forests has grown to 1864 individuals, and two-thirds of them live in safe areas. In total, including the inhabitants of zoos, there are about 2060 giant pandas in the world.

Still remaining small, they have already ceased to be endangered: their species status is now vulnerable. A huge role in the conservation of rare bears was played by the presence of centers for their protection and breeding. The AirPano team visited one of the most famous such places: the city of Chengdu. According to ancient records, pandas lived in the nearby forests as early as 4,000 years ago.

Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province in southern China, has an ancient history and interesting monuments, but first of all, it attracts visitors with the opportunity to see black and white bears. Already at the airport, numerous images of famous animals remind of this.

On the outskirts of Chengdu, a research center for the study and breeding of giant pandas (Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding) has been operating since 1987. Its first inhabitants were six bamboo bears rescued from the dangerous conditions of the wild. During the 30 years of the center's operation, 176 bamboo bears have been born, and now about a hundred adult animals live here.

The center is open to visitors: this allows you to collect additional funds for its work. In addition to buying an entrance ticket, you can make a donation to the panda protection fund. As a keepsake, the tourist will receive a T-shirt, a soft toy and a sponsor's certificate.

The territory of the park is divided into several zones: museums, information points, a rehabilitation center for injured animals and enclosures for pandas of different ages. Moreover, we are not only talking about bamboo bears: Panda Base even has red, or small pandas (lat. Ailurus fulgens). Not everyone knows that they are the real representatives of the panda family, and giant pandas belong to the bear family. However, both of these animal species have a common ancestor and in nature live in the same areas in the highland forests of China.

The research center in Chengdu is very large, it is difficult to visit all the enclosures in one day. In order to be in time, it is recommended to inspect the park on an electric car. If you come during the season from May to September, it is better to come to the very opening of the park or a little earlier: in the cool morning hours, the animals are quite active, but as soon as the thermometer rises, even the smallest playful pandas become sleepy and go into indoor enclosures . And especially hot summer days, animals are generally transferred to air-conditioned rooms. And although Panda Base does not have official closing hours, by 6 pm there are usually no tourists on the territory.

The process of feeding pandas is very interesting. Each adult needs 30-40 kg of bamboo per day, but since this plant does not grow in such quantities in artificially created parks, the animals are fed with a special "panda pie" based on bamboo fibers. It tastes like a traditional apple pie with nuts; even park staff love to eat it!

It would be a mistake to assume that pandas eat only bamboo: their ancestors were meat-eaters, which is why modern bamboo bears are technically predators. In the wild, they sometimes eat eggs, small birds, animals, insects, and carrion: animal food for pandas is a necessary source of protein.

However, the basis of their diet is still bamboo: in the course of evolution, the body of pandas adapted to a plant that is widespread in their habitats. The "thumb" on the front paws is a modified wrist bone and allows you to manage even the thinnest bamboo shoots, and the esophagus and stomach are lined with a thick layer of elastic mucous tissue to protect against bamboo chips.

In addition, pandas are not indifferent to sweets, getting this taste from fruits and vegetables. Bamboo bears prefer apples, while their little "brothers" like pumpkin more.

Pandas from Chengdu became the protagonists of AirPano's panoramas thanks to the fact that our team, along with colleagues from UtoVR, worked here as consultants for shooting 360° photos and 360° video for Pandapia, as well as post-production. The shooting turned out to be incredibly exciting: pandas are among the world leaders in "audience sympathy"; however, unlike puppies and kittens, they are too few in number, and therefore there are fewer photos of them. Truly unique is the panorama from the hatchery with the little panda. From birth to adulthood, the animal increases 1000 times!

When shooting animals, there is always a factor of surprise: at some point, when the equipment is already turned off, and you are about to leave the set, the bear cub suddenly starts tumbling uncontrollably. For little pandas, daily bathing is mandatory: they are dipped in a bathtub and watered to keep them cool, and this is also an unforgettable sight.

Each panda in the reserve has its own name. I remember the Asterisk, the Milky Way, the Shadow Lover. Pandas or groups of pandas are entitled to their own caretaker (keeper): if the panda moves to another reserve or zoo, the caretaker accompanies the animals to their destination, and then meets them upon their return. And finally, the Panda Base center has official ambassadors. Among them are the famous actor Jackie Chan, the popular Russian singer Valeria and other famous people of China and the whole planet.

But despite the comfort created for pandas in this center, the conditions are still far from natural. Bamboo bears lead a more secluded life in the mountain reserve Dujiangyan Panda Base and Center for Disease Control, located 55 kilometers from Chengdu. Pandas come here for various reasons: some are born there, and some are brought for treatment. Enclosures have been created here for their smooth adaptation to subsequent life in the wild and for a quiet existence in "old age". Part of the reserve is absolutely wild, differing from the natural habitat only by a high level of protection of rare animals. This area is so vast that you can walk around it for a whole week without meeting a single panda!

In total, the Dujiangyan Panda Base and Center for Disease Control occupies over 50 hectares, and all able-bodied animals are given full independence. They don’t even have special feeding places, but specialists remotely monitor their wards, and if they see that a confused panda cannot find food for a long time, they put bamboo on it.

You can see what the safe "oasis of pandas" looks like from above with the help of AirPano panoramas.

Sergey Semenov and Stanislav Sedov
13/11/2017

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Do you want to get an almost lethal dose of tenderness? Then you are in the city of Chengdu, in the Chinese province of Sichuan. There is a panda breeding center there. Closer than here, you are unlikely to get close to them ...

The city of Chengdu itself is not worth a special trip to it. Another big city, of which there are many in China. However, it is large and significant even by Chinese standards - it is not without reason that a subway is being built here.

Chengdu is very similar to Moscow (and, of course, to Beijing) - the same radial-ring structure, the same wide streets, avenues, the same rather faceless skyscrapers. Instead of Red Square - a huge Tianfu Square with a monument to Chairman Mao. In the evenings, there are folk festivals and performances of the color-musical fountain.

For the traveler, Chengdu is more of a base for attacks on the surrounding Leshan and Emeishan, as well as a starting point for a throw (usually by air) to Tibet. Waiting for a flight is brightened up by chatting with fellow backpackers in hostels (local hostels, both Mix Hostel and Holly’s Hostel, have a completely freaky atmosphere). As well as a hike through temples quite standard for China and "authentic" (read - built from scratch a couple of years ago) shopping streets.

A Russian person will be pleased with the presence in the city of the “Russian Theater” (I don’t know what they put on there, but here’s a nightclub next door to popular popular domes - it obviously works like a cabaret brothel). And also this souvenir shop in the vicinity of Wenshu Temple.

What I liked most here was not the stalls with cranberry Russian souvenirs

And the completely crazy brands of products offered: Brasilia coffee, Gucci perfume, Camel coffee, etc.

However, this is not what people go to Chengdu for. People come here to see pandas, cute black and white animals, which for the Celestial Empire are a symbol worse than the Great Wall of China.

Once upon a time, pandas were found almost all over China. Now they remain only in a few mountainous regions of Sichuan, in the Qinlin Mountains of Shaanxi Province, as well as in the very south of Gansu Province.

There were so many pandas that they were supposedly even trained as death fighting machines.

The latter is hard to believe. It is enough just to look at the panda live.

This is the epitome of laziness. An animal that either sleeps or eats bamboo. Actually, when pandas are fed, it is most interesting to watch them, because. this is the most active part of the day. Therefore, it is better to come to the center from 8 am. By noon pandas usually go to bed.
The panda breeding center is located just behind the ring road encircling Chengdu. Several city bus routes go to it from the northern bus station (1-2 yuan). It is easier and faster to take a taxi (about 25 yuan from the city center). Entrance to the center costs 30 yuan (i.e. 100 rubles).

First, it is customary to look at the meal of adult pandas. Within a few hours, pandas absorb bamboo with feeling, sense and arrangement. They cover themselves with it in the manner of a blanket and slowly eat it.

Having finished with the next portion, the panda reluctantly (lazily!) reaches for a new one.

If the bamboo is far away, the panda stretches almost to its full height, but does not tear off the fifth point from the ground - lazily.

When two pandas are reaching for bamboo at once, it seems that you are watching an aerobics program for obese people.

But here the bamboo is mined - you can eat happily again!

And not only eat. Looking at this photo, you understand the meaning of the expression "smoking bamboo".

But the stocks of bamboo in the foreseeable space are running out - this is a tragedy!

The panda sits still sadly for a while, and then, through force, rises and hobbles to the next pile of bamboo.

The process described above takes on average up to half an hour. We spent an hour and a half with adult pandas. And they came off only because they also had to look at the cubs. And you can meditate all day long.

Unlike adults, babies are suspiciously active. Apparently because it feeds not on low-calorie bamboo, but on milk.

The favorite game here is king of the hill.

Plasticity and dynamics are indistinguishable from the preparatory group of the kindergarten.

However, there are more rational children.

This one is not dead - he just sleeps, exhausted after breakfast.

Pandas, as everyone knows, are excellent climbers.

Whoever did not have enough space on the tree - swings on a swing.

In general, the pavilion for pandas being turned into a playground is more for the public, but it really looks organic.

From time to time, an employee of the center appears on the site and takes away the panda that has turned up.

Pandas hide in the bushes. Children don't like being photographed.

A photo with a panda is insanely expensive. 1,000 yuan for a cub and 500 for an adult. However, there is a demand.

Those who have little money can take a picture with a red panda - this is around $ 10.

When taking a photo with a panda, you are dressed in cellophane to prevent direct contact with the animal. And then, God forbid, still infect him with something. So that the panda sits calmly - she is fed with apples.

Red pandas look more like raccoons. Among zoologists, disputes continue as to who the red pandas are: bears, raccoons, or something very special. With giant pandas, they sort of decided that they were bears.

In general, you will be in Chengdu - look here for sure. You will not see pandas in such numbers and in such close proximity anywhere in the world - well, except perhaps in the Wolong Nature Reserve, which is 150 kilometers from Chengdu. But you still have to get there.

Outside of China, only about 20 pandas live in 11 zoos around the world. China is famous for its "panda diplomacy", when it gave the country pandas as a sign of friendly disposition. However, recently he does not give, but only leases for 10 years. In September of this year, the panda was brought to the Madrid Zoo.
There were once pandas in Moscow. In 1957, a male Ping-Ping registered at the Moscow Zoo, and two years later a pair was delivered to him - a panda named An-An. But there was a discrepancy (apparently, the cunning Chinese deceived). An-An also turned out to be a male. Trying to get offspring, An-An was even taken to London on a date with a local female panda Chi-Chi. But, apparently, An-An liked life without women so much that he did not want to breed. Moreover, he had such a fight with his betrothed that they had to be separated with the help of hoses and blank shots from guns.
So the Moscow pandas died, leaving no offspring. London, by the way, too.

Not all is well in China either. Last year, the world's only brown and white panda died in Qinling. In general, pandas are an endangered species. Although in Chengdu only in 2006, 12 new pandyats were born. And in Volun, in general, 17. So for now, it makes sense to come to Chengdu.
And this meaning is black and white.

UPD:
panda fight video

The most famous tourist attraction in China's Sichuan province is the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this panda nursery is one of the main attractions of all of China, especially considering that these animals are the symbol of the country.

Reasons for establishing the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary

However, the main causes of extinction are not their laziness, but hunting, and poaching, which began after the ban on it. But if the Chinese government is more or less able to fight poaching, then things are much worse with the preservation of the natural habitat of the giant panda. China is not only overpopulated, but also rapidly developing, in need of more and more new lands. As a result, the area of bamboo forests, which are the main supplier of food for pandas, is shrinking. Due to the economic development of the PRC, when the government thought about preserving the giant pandas, only about 1000 individuals remained.

It was possible to stop the decline in the population of giant pandas only in recent years, when at the cost of unprecedented efforts. And the famous panda nursery in Chengdu played an important role in this. It was he who was entrusted with the task of studying the giant pandas so that it was possible to preserve the population of these animals living in natural conditions. The second most important task was the successful breeding of giant pandas in captivity.

When was the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary established and how did it all begin?

The response to the ecological crisis was the creation of the Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve in Chengdu. This event took place in 1987. Initially, only six giant pandas lived in the reserve, which were rescued from the wild.

Soon, this Chinese panda sanctuary attracted a number of leading panda researchers to their activities, who took control of everything that happened in the open-air zone where giant pandas lived and bred. The purpose of their activities was not just breeding these animals, but setting the process in such a way that the animals grown in this center could be successfully returned to the wild.

Where is Chengdu Panda Sanctuary located?

Oddly enough, but the place where the Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve is located is only 10 kilometers from the center of Chengdu. And we are not talking about some provincial town, but about the fifth most populous city in China, in which, according to data for 2010, about 14 million people lived. You can get from the city to the reserve without any difficulty, since there are a lot of taxis along this route.

However, despite such proximity to Chengdu, the panda reserve does not experience any anthropogenic impact and pets feel as at ease there as in the wild. The only exceptions are crowds of tourists and the staff of the reserve itself. True, in this case, everything is carefully planned, and the flow of visitors is regulated in such a way as not to create unnecessary stress for the pandas.

The area of the reserve is almost 100 hectares (1 sq. km), 96% of which are covered with bamboo thickets, through which a person can get through with great difficulty. Thanks to this plentiful food source, pandas have no difficulty in eating. In addition to bamboo, special plants and shrubs are grown to complement the diet of pandas and provide good food for other animals living in the reserve.

The management plans include expanding the area of the reserve by another 200 hectares (about 2 sq. km). This area will simulate the natural habitat, which will be used as an intermediate stage before the return of giant pandas to the wild.

Panda Gallery from Chengdu Nature Reserve

Fresh photos of pandas from the Chengdu reserve were sent to our editors, so right now you can enjoy the view of these beautiful and cute animals.

Is the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary just a nature reserve?

Providing giant pandas with the opportunity to live in an environment as close to natural as possible is not the only goal of the Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve. It is also the largest and most famous breeding center for this animal in the world.

The natural beauties of the panda reserve are also unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. Here, in crystal clear air, green bamboo, bright flowers, natural hilly landscape and harmoniously built-in artificial structures merge into a single whole. On the territory of the reserve there are all the necessary buildings, which include a first-aid post, sleeping quarters and a feed room. In addition, there is a museum that operates in conjunction with research laboratories and a training center.

Museum at Chengdu Panda Sanctuary

Among the exhibits you can see a lot of rare paintings, over 800 interesting materials and accessories, as well as more than 2140 different exhibits collected from all over Sichuan. Among them are specimens of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects, as well as fossils and reconstructions. In the museum you can see realistic paintings of giant pandas in their natural environment in antiquity. These exhibitions cover an area of about 300 square meters. There are over 10,000 exhibits in the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary Museum. In addition to them, there is a library with thousands of books and documents on giant pandas. This magnificent and versatile museum is worth a visit for anyone interested in protecting and restoring the natural diversity of this region.

A great place is occupied by educational and educational programs, thanks to which visitors can learn about the difficulties that breeders face, about the addictions and habits of pandas in general and each pet in particular. Visitors to the panda museum can learn about the evolution of these unusual animals, their place in nature today and in antiquity. The measures taken by the Chinese government to protect giant pandas are highlighted in detail.

What is the progress of Chengdu Panda Sanctuary?

What surprises many visitors is that adult females are only fertile for a few hours a year. In order not to miss this opportunity, the reserve has developed a special breeding program that would remove this problem.

Using modern methods of artificial insemination and monitoring of the giant panda's very peculiar breeding cycle, the team of researchers managed to increase the number of pandas living in the reserve from six individuals to almost ninety! Considering that giant pandas almost never breed in captivity, this result can be called outstanding!

When is the best time to visit Chengdu Panda Sanctuary?

The most acceptable time to visit is the period from 8:30 to 10 am. It is at this time that pandas have breakfast. In addition, at this time the flow of tourists is not so great. Another reason for choosing this time is that after eating, pandas tend to indulge in their favorite pastime - sleep.

Hug with pandas at Chengdu Panda Sanctuary

Even those who are about to visit the famous panda nursery in Chengdu do not always know that there you can really cuddle with these animals and even kiss them. But not everyone can do this, but only those who are willing to pay a considerable fee (approximately 300-350 US dollars per person) for the opportunity to hug and take pictures with a panda for two minutes. The price is not constant, and has recently shown an upward trend. Payment is made only in cash and in RMB.

At the same time, the opportunity to cuddle with a panda is available only at 10:30 or 14:30. In addition to paying the fee, you must register half an hour before the “hug time”, that is, at 10 or 14 hours. It is important to note that hugs are not compulsory for pandas, and therefore there is no guarantee that they will take place at all, since the priority for the reserve is the welfare of the animals, and not the satisfaction of all visitors. In total, no more than twenty people a day can get the right to hug, so in the summer, tourists have to apply many days before the planned visit.

Those who are lucky enough to hug a panda should wear protective shoes, gloves, and in no case touch the animal's face. Judging by the reviews of those who happened to hug a panda, pets do it on their own, without needing any leashes. During the hug, several staff members of the reserve take photographs, which will be given to the visitor, along with special panda gifts and a certificate of donation for the welfare of the pandas.

According to the rules, you can only hug pandas that are not yet too big. As for adults, you can only sit next to them: do not forget that a panda is still a bear, whose weight can exceed one and a half hundred kilograms. At the same time, the minimum age for pandas to be hugged is six months. In most cases, the weight of such pandas is very small and it is quite possible to hold them on your lap.

The funds raised in this way are used to purchase new land in the Sichuan countryside, where the baby pandas will eventually be released. In addition to hugging giant pandas, sleeping red pandas are allowed to be photographed, but signs warn visitors not to come into close contact with them, as they can be quite belligerent. They even bit several visitors, however, the latter themselves provoked them to this by their actions.

What other animals live in the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary?

In addition to the struggle for the giant panda, the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve sends part of the funds to the conservation of the following animals:

Little panda
Golden Monkey/Rhinopithecine Rhinopithecus (Rhinopithecus roxellanae/Pygathrix roxellana)
Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
White stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)
Other endangered species living in the region

It is worth recognizing that China does not always pay enough attention to the problem of wildlife conservation. However, the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Sanctuary is a model for preserving the fragile biodiversity of Sichuan province and inspires not only the Chinese, but also people from other countries to care for nature.

In Chengdu, pandas feel completely safe.

Reasons for establishing the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary

Pandas are not hyperactive animals. Moreover, they are so lazy that they are sometimes even confused with the koala and are credited with eating eucalyptus. Because of their laziness, they even treat the breeding process rather coolly. As a result, the population growth rate is low even under favorable conditions. And since the current state of affairs in ecological terms can hardly be called favorable, the number of pandas has been rapidly declining for many decades. However, the main reasons for the extinction of giant pandas are not their laziness, but hunting, and poaching, which began after the ban on it. But if the Chinese government is more or less able to fight poaching, then things are much worse with the preservation of the natural habitat of the giant panda. China is not only overpopulated, but also rapidly developing, in need of more and more new lands. As a result, the area of bamboo forests, which are the main supplier of food for pandas, is shrinking. Due to the economic development of the PRC, when the government thought about preserving the giant pandas, only about 1000 individuals remained.

The reason for the extinction of giant pandas was poaching and the reduction of the area of bamboo forests.

It was possible to stop the decline in the population of giant pandas only in recent years, when, at the cost of unprecedented efforts, their numbers were even slightly increased. And the famous panda nursery in Chengdu played an important role in this. It was he who was entrusted with the task of studying the giant pandas so that it was possible to preserve the population of these animals living in natural conditions. The second most important task was the successful breeding of giant pandas in captivity.

Chengdu Panda Sanctuary is not only a nature reserve, but also a nursery, a museum and an introduction center.

When was the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary established and how did it all begin? The response to the ecological crisis was the creation of the Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve in Chengdu. This event took place in 1987. Initially, only six giant pandas lived in the reserve, which were rescued from the wild.

In order for the reserve to reach the level at which it is now, the efforts of specialists from all over the world were required.

Where is Chengdu Panda Sanctuary located?

The reserve in Chengdu is located just a few kilometers from the metropolis of the same name.

The standard visitor tour includes a 3-hour tour with a professional guide who will show you baby and adult pandas. In addition, he will describe in detail the behavior of both, providing an understanding of the habits and physiology of these creatures. It is important to note that visitors will be able to see with their own eyes how a panda develops, from infancy to the age of five. In a special area, you can admire newborn cubs and get photos of adults while relaxing. At the same time, the excursion, the cost of which is less than 10 US dollars, includes transportation from the city to the reserve and back. The area of the reserve is almost 100 hectares (1 sq. km), 96% of which are covered with bamboo thickets, through which a person can get through with great difficulty. Thanks to this plentiful food source, pandas have no difficulty in eating. In addition to bamboo, special plants and shrubs are grown to complement the diet of pandas and provide good food for other animals living in the reserve.

In Chengdu, you can even see newborn giant panda cubs.

Museum at Chengdu Panda Sanctuary.

It is difficult to find another place on the planet where one could learn more about pandas than in the Chengdu Nature Reserve.

The Giant Panda Museum was opened in 1993. From the very beginning, its goal was to provide visitors with the most reliable information about giant pandas and not only about them. This is the world's only thematic museum specializing in rare and endangered species of animals and the only giant panda museum in the world. Three main expositions are presented to the attention of visitors in the hall of giant pandas, the hall of butterflies and the hall of vertebrates. Among the exhibits you can see a lot of rare paintings, over 800 interesting materials and accessories, as well as more than 2140 different exhibits collected from all over Sichuan. Among them are specimens of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects, as well as fossils and reconstructions. In the museum you can see realistic paintings of giant pandas in their natural environment in antiquity. These exhibitions cover an area of about 300 square meters. There are over 10,000 exhibits in the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary Museum. In addition to them, there is a library with thousands of books and documents on giant pandas. This magnificent and versatile museum is worth a visit for anyone interested in protecting and restoring the natural diversity of this region.

The Museum of the Reserve in Chengdu has over ten thousand exhibits, and all of them are dedicated to these animals.

When is the best time to visit Chengdu Panda Sanctuary?

If you visit the Chengdu Nature Reserve in the morning, there will not be many visitors.

Hugs with pandas at the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary Even those who visit the famous panda nursery in Chengdu do not always know that you can really hug and even kiss these animals there. But not everyone can do this, but only those who are willing to pay a considerable fee (approximately 300-350 US dollars per person) for the opportunity to hug and take pictures with a panda for two minutes. The price is not constant, and has recently shown an upward trend. Payment is made only in cash and in RMB.

The reserve in Chengdu is the only place where you can not only see a panda, but also hug it.

The funds raised in this way are used to purchase new land in the Sichuan countryside, where the baby pandas will eventually be released. In addition to hugging giant pandas, photographs of sleeping red pandas are allowed, but signs warn visitors not to come into close contact with them, as red pandas can be quite belligerent. They even bit several visitors, however, the latter themselves provoked them to this by their actions.

The management of the reserve in Chengdu strictly ensures that pandas are not forced to do anything, even for money.

What other animals live in the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary?

Little panda
Golden Monkey/Rhinopithecine Rhinopithecus (Rhinopithecus roxellanae/Pygathrix roxellana)  Chinese Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
White stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)

The Panda Study Sanctuary is the cutest attraction!

Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Reserve is the most popular tourist attraction in Sichuan. Pandas are so lazy that they are even reluctant to breed and, as a result, are rapidly declining in numbers. Plus, rapidly developing China needs new lands, and bamboo forests are quickly cut down, and bamboo is the main diet of these animals. Therefore, the task of the reserve is to preserve and increase bamboo bears.

Try to get here early (the center is open from 8 am to 6 pm) to catch the pandas active. During the day they sleep or chew bamboo. And sleep again

Giant pandas have unusual front paws, with a "thumb" and five regular fingers; "thumb" allows them to be controlled even with thin bamboo shoots. An adult panda eats up to 30 kg of bamboo per day, but on occasion they can also eat insects and eggs.

Unfortunately, giant pandas in China are an endangered species. No wonder they are symbols of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In the wild, pandas live only in the mountains of Sichuan and Tibet.

The reserve also contains red pandas, which are more similar to ferrets in both size and color))

Be sure to come here to see these cute cubs with your own eyes. The entrance fee to the panda reserve is 58 yuan as of May 2013. In the meantime, I suggest you just look at the photos we took in the reserve.

Close to park entrance

Figure at the entrance to the panda reserve

Pond with fish and swans. How much can they eat?

Panda is watching you!

The adult panda was really lazy: even when it started to rain, she reluctantly hid under a canopy.

It was not possible to photograph her at close range - she hid in the bushes all the time!

But the kids frolicked from the heart. One was sitting on a tree, the second wanted to push him out of there.

A crowd of people immediately gathered around, everyone clicked cameras, laughed, smiled, and meanwhile the pandas lazily tried to push each other out of the tree. One gave up...

After breakfast, he thought about high ...

The park is quite large, you can leisurely walk among the bamboo thickets. The panda research center is trying to replicate the natural habitat of these cute animals.

And here is the red panda. She did not honor us with her attention.

Now for some practical information.

The reserve is located in the north of the city, 18 km from the center. Opening hours from 8 am to 6 pm. The entrance ticket, as mentioned above, costs 58 yuan, for children - 29 yuan.

How to get to Chengdu Panda Research Center?

Bus number 60 departs from Chengdu from Traffic Inn Hostel (stop in front of the hostel). It differs from all other buses in the city:

Bus that will take you almost to the center of the pandas

The mirror reflects our hotel across the street

This is what the bus looks like inside.

Get on this bus and drive through the city to the north for an hour and a half. He does not reach the reserve one stop and turns right. You need to return to the main road and walk 500 meters further straight. We rode in such a bus together with the old women, who had finished practicing tai chi on the embankment and went home)).

The bus runs from 6:30 to 20:00. The fare is 2 yuan.

You can also book a tour to the pandas in any hostel or hotel, although it will cost more. Or take a taxi. We went ourselves - it's fun and interesting!