My family and I went to the San Diego Zoo while we were on vacation last week. The zoo has built their reputation for good reason. It really is a spectacular place hosting such a variety of animals that represent different countries with the animals that are indigenous to their regions. From Koalas in the Outback and Polar Bears in the Northern Frontier, for me, the absolute stars of the day were the Pandas in their “Asian Passage.”
Oh my! I have never seen a panda bear up close, and blog readers, they are more adorable than you could ever imagine. I am in love! Check out the serious cuddly cuteness! And!!– if you want to see them live, you can even view the San Diego Zoo’s “panda cam.” CLICK HERE to check it out.
I really didn’t know a lot about pandas before I want to the San Diego Zoo. My knowledge was limited and primarily based on the Kung Fu Panda movies. So, I decided to check out some real facts. Here are a few that I found.
Panda Facts
— Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.
— Many people find these chunky, lumbering animals to be cute, but giant pandas can be as dangerous as any other bear.
–Males panda are larger than females, weighing up to 250 pounds in the wild. Females rarely reach 220 pounds.
–The giant panda is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Species. There are about 1,600 left in the wild. More than 300 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, mostly in China.
–A wild giant panda’s diet is almost exclusively (99 percent) bamboo. They spend at least 12 hours each day eating bamboo.
–They seem pretty quiet, but giant pandas can bleat, roar, growl, and honk.
Panda’s are beautiful animals, and it is amazing to think that there are only about 1900 (captive and wild) living in the world today. This just breaks my heart! I am so happy that I was able to see them up close at the San Diego Zoo, and I am so glad that it prompted me to learn more about them.
Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few songs about pandas, but i chose a song by Jefferson Airplane as my song of the day, because they talk about how these amazing animals are endangered. I never want to hear about a bamboo forest being chopped down again. Pandas are too special not to look out for. Long live pandas!