In the wild, giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) live only in China, and only in a few mountainous regions of the country. This species was long considered endangered: poaching and uncontrolled deforestation led to only a thousand remaining in the wild by 1976.
Recognizing the problem, Chinese authorities took a number of conservation measures, including the creation of more than 60 parks with enhanced protection. As a result, by 2016, the number of pandas in forests had grown to 1,864, two-thirds of which live in safe areas. In total, including those in zoos, there are approximately 2,060 giant pandas worldwide.
While still rare, they are no longer endangered: their species status is now vulnerable. The existence of protection and breeding centers has played a huge role in preserving these rare bears. The AirPano team visited one of the most famous such sites: the city of Chengdu. According to ancient records, pandas inhabited the nearby forests as early as 4,000 years ago.
Chengdu, located in the Sichuan Province of southern China, boasts a long history and fascinating monuments, but it primarily attracts visitors for the opportunity to see black and white bears. Numerous images of the famous animals are a reminder of this fact right at the airport.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has been operating on the outskirts of Chengdu since 1987. Its first inhabitants were six giant pandas rescued from dangerous conditions in the wild. Over the 30 years of operation, the center has produced 176 giant pandas, and now houses about 100 adult animals.
The center is open to visitors, raising additional funds for its operations. In addition to purchasing an entrance ticket, visitors can make a donation to the Panda Conservation Fund. As a souvenir, visitors will receive a T-shirt, a stuffed animal, and a sponsorship certificate.
The park is divided into several zones: museums, information points, a rehabilitation center for injured animals, and enclosures for pandas of various ages. And it's not just giant pandas: Panda Base even houses red pandas, or lesser pandas (Ailurus fulgens). Not everyone knows that red pandas are true members of the panda family, while giant pandas belong to the bear family. However, both species share a common ancestor and inhabit similar habitats in the high-altitude forests of China.
The Chengdu research center is very large, making it difficult to visit all the enclosures in one day. To get everything done, it's recommended to explore the park by electric vehicle. If you're visiting during the peak season (May through September), it's best to arrive just before the park opens or a little earlier: in the cool morning hours, the animals are quite active, but as soon as the temperature rises, even the smallest playful pandas become sleepy and retreat to their indoor enclosures. On particularly hot summer days, the animals are moved to air-conditioned rooms. Although Panda Base has no official closing hours, by 6 PM the grounds are usually empty of tourists.
The pandas' feeding process is quite fascinating. Each adult panda requires 30-40 kg of bamboo per day, but since this plant doesn't grow in such quantities in man-made parks, the animals are fed a special "panda pie" made from bamboo fiber. It tastes like traditional apple pie with nuts; even the park staff enjoy it!
It would be a mistake to think that pandas eat only bamboo: their ancestors were meat eaters, so modern bamboo bears are technically carnivores. In the wild, they sometimes eat eggs, small birds, animals, insects, and even carrion: animal food is a necessary source of protein for pandas.
However, bamboo remains the mainstay of their diet: pandas' bodies have evolved to thrive on the plant, which is common in their habitat. The "thumb" on their forepaws is a modified wrist bone and allows them to manipulate even the thinnest bamboo shoots, while their esophagus and stomach are lined with a thick, elastic mucous membrane to protect them from bamboo splinters.
Pandas also have a sweet tooth, getting their taste from fruits and vegetables. Giant pandas prefer apples, while their smaller cousins prefer pumpkin.
The Chengdu pandas became the heroes of AirPano panoramas thanks to our team, together with our colleagues from UtoVR, working here as consultants on shooting 360° photos and 360° videos for Pandapia, and also handled post-production. The shoot was incredibly captivating: pandas are among the world's most popular animals, but unlike puppies and kittens, they are rare, so fewer photographs are taken. A panorama from the incubator with a baby panda is truly unique. From birth to adulthood, the animal grows 1,000 times in size!
When photographing animals, there's always the element of surprise: at some point, when the equipment is already turned off and you're about to leave the set, the bear cub suddenly starts tumbling uncontrollably. Baby pandas are given daily baths: they're dunked in a bathtub and sprayed with water to keep them cool, and this, too, is an unforgettable sight.
Each panda at the reserve has its own name. I remember Star, Milky Way, and Shadow Lover. Pandas or groups of pandas are assigned their own keeper: if a panda moves to another reserve or zoo, the keeper accompanies the animals to their destination and then greets them upon their return. Finally, Panda Base has official ambassadors. Among them are the famous actor Jackie Chan, the popular Russian singer Valeria, and other famous people from China and around the world.
But despite the comfortable conditions created for the pandas at this center, the conditions are still far from natural. The pandas live a more secluded life at the Dujiangyan Panda Base and Center for Disease Control, a mountain sanctuary located 55 kilometers from Chengdu. Pandas come here for various reasons: some are born there, while others are brought for treatment. Enclosures have been created to allow them to gradually adapt to life in the wild and to live peacefully in their later years. Part of the sanctuary is completely wild, differing from their natural habitat only in the high level of protection afforded to these rare animals. This area is so vast that you could walk through it for a week without seeing a single panda!
The Dujiangyan Panda Base and Center for Disease Control occupies over 50 hectares, and all able-bodied animals are given complete independence. They don't even have designated feeding areas, but specialists monitor their charges remotely, and if a confused panda is struggling to find food, they provide bamboo for it.
You can see what a safe "panda oasis" looks like from above using AirPano panoramas.
Source: travel.ru