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| Refuge of the giant panda
China's Sichuan Province is deservedly famous for its fiery cuisine and also as the home of the giant panda. Most visitors who pass through its bustling capital Chengdu take the opportunity to see the giant panda, one of the most famous endangered species in the world and indeed this was one of the highlights of our group of journalists' visit to China. The Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is situated just a short drive from Chengdu and comes as a surprise when you emerge from the city traffic into a green haven. At the entrance is an appropriately large bronze sculpture of a giant panda cradling a baby in its arms. Inside we came face to face with reality when we saw Bing Bing. Bing Bing is a supermum. In just 17 years, this giant panda has had 11 litters and raised eight cubs. On August 1, her new baby made headlines, a triumph for the Chengdu research facility. Bing Bing's baby, weighing 176 grams at birth, is the first surviving test-tube cub this year. When we visited early last month, the giant panda was curled up in one corner of her cage, her month-old cub nestled protectively in her arms. Of the cub, then yet to be named, we could see little. Apparently, panda mums are loath to part with their babies and so visitors like us had to be content with a glimpse of a little black and white furball. Bing Bing is just one of the success stories that have earned this centre, set up in 1987, worldwide fame for its conservation efforts. Spread over 38 hectares, the Chengdu research and breeding centre is home to 38 giant pandas and a similar number of red pandas, which bear a strong resemblance to raccoons. Its pioneering research into reproduction and gamete biology, genetics, disease control and panda behaviour has won the Chengdu centre numerous awards. The enduring symbol of the World Wildlife Fund, the giant panda is an endangered species. Recent estimates put the number of pandas surviving in the wild in China at around 1,000 and some as low as 600. The Chengdu breeding facility is thus one of the Chinese government's ongoing efforts to save this species. Over 30 other centres are scattered around China. Chengdu's goal is to successfully breed the giant panda in captivity and then eventually reintroduce it to the wild. China's giant panda population is found largely in the chill mountainous slopes. Logging, poaching and the destruction of its habitat due to agricultural expansion have threatened its survival. At Chengdu, the pandas are kept in large open enclosures that while not being mountainous, provide them a safe haven. Thickly wooded, with big trees, willows and giant bamboo, the centre aims to provide a setting as close as possible to their original habitat. Moats and rocky places, also wooden structures like climbing frames make the enclosures interesting for the pandas. Visitors to the facility can hop into one of the large open tram cars that take you on a quick tour of the reserve, where you can get down at strategic points to see the giant pandas up close. The first sight is indeed a thrill as you walk through leafy trails and then spot two pandas stretched lazily on a branch ahead. The adult panda can reach 1.5 metres in length and their stocky shape and distinctive black and white markings make them relatively easy to spot. They are most active early in the day, our knowledgeable, English-speaking guide, Maria, informed us. Our midmorning visit saw most of them slumbering peacefully in the sunshine. Strolling on, we found a pair of young pandas who though also taking a siesta were coaxed out of their cages for our benefit. The cubs are weaned one year and then the keepers assume the role of carers, bringing up the young pandas with plenty of play and affection. The red pandas also being bred at Chengdu though not as famous as the giant pandas are beautiful with their thick russet fur and long bushy tails. For 50 Yuan, you can have the privilege of entering their enclosure and carrying a red panda though this involves scrubbing your hands first in a bucket of chlorine solution, the smell of which tends to linger with you long after. Only one red panda was willing to be thus cuddled and fed slices of apple, the others opting to keep a safe distance. Boards placed at several points in the centre however, warn that the giant panda can be fierce, so any thoughts of repeating the exercise with a giant panda are quickly dispelled. For bird watchers too, there's much to see here with peacocks and pheasants, kingfishers and egrets as well as the endangered black-necked cranes and white storks within the grounds. The Centre also houses a museum, which provides plenty of panda information for the enthusiast. Giant pandas have a low reproduction rate and it is through centres like the one at Chengdu, where among other pioneering efforts, giant pandas are inseminated using frozen sperm, that the species has a hope of survival. - Renuka Sadanandan |
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