Chengdu's Lovable Panda Bears
China’s Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding
The Giant Pandas, an iconic symbol of China and the conservation movement, have dwindled down to less than 1000, and 80% of those are in Sichuan Province. Located just 10 km outside downtown Chengdu is the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to over 60 pandas.
This world-famous ecological park covers an area of 92 acres of rolling lush green hills, and is dedicated to protecting and conserving many native Chinese endangered species, like the Giant Panda and the Red Panda. In the park, there are over 400 kinds of trees, many species of bamboo, and countless flowers sprinkled around the lush Swan Lake.
Started in 1993, the Giant Panda Research Base offers visitors a unique glimpse into the lives of these solitary animals that usually live in remote bamboo forests high in the mountains. With the continued destruction of their natural environment, the Panda Base was created to mimic their natural habitat and give researchers a place to breed and study these amazing creatures.
Giant Panda Research
The research center has made valuable strides in captive animal breeding with artificial insemination and frozen semen technology. They have also set up the only cell bank of Giant Pandas in the world. With collaboration from 8 other nations, the researchers here continue to make breakthroughs that benefit all of the endangered species through advances in reproductive sciences, conservation genetics, and wildlife ecology.
The Panda Research Center is also dedicated to educating the public about wildlife conservation. By replicating their natural environment, visitors can watch these beautiful animals play, climb trees, and of course, munch endlessly on bamboo. The center also has a Giant Panda Museum, covering all of the information about their arduous process towards conservation. There is also the Panda Story Cinema, which shows visitors the great difficulties the center has faced in getting Giant Pandas to reproduce in captivity, and the difficult steps to raising healthy pandas.
The grounds of the Panda Research Base are broken into areas for adult pandas, sub-adult pandas, panda cubs, and a nursery house for all of the newborns. There are also two enclosures for visitors to watch the fox like Red Pandas scamper about in the Gingko trees. There is also a butterfly museum and vertebrates hall. The recommended time to see all of these sites is about 2-3 hours.
Chengdu Tourist Information
The entrance fee is 80 RMB, but it is recommended that travelers go with a tour operator because they offer discounted tickets and provide direct transportation to and from the site. If travelers wish to take public buses there will be 3 transfers, the signs and stops are in Chinese only, and will take over 1 hour to get there.
Operating hours are from 0730 to 1800. It is recommended that travelers arrive early in the morning, as this is the time pandas are most active. Arriving later in the afternoon most pandas will be sleeping or off with researchers so travelers may miss many of the pandas.
At the time of writing this, the local tourism board is now offering Panda Cards to all tourists. This card, available at any convenience store like Hongqi Chain stores, allows tourists to enter sites like the Panda Base for only 1 RMB. Click here for more information about Chengdu, including a food guide and city guide.
Baby Panda Bear
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