Today I will write about my visit in Beijing Zoo on Dec 13.
It is SO COLD in Beijing at this season, around -10~-4°C...
When I arrived in Chengdu it was still summer, and now it is
winter here. I was freezing all the time at the Beijing Zoo, and
wished I had thick fur like Pandas!
This is 大地(DaDi) born Sep 22 1992, 120kg.
He looks strong and healthy!
Came to say Hi to me.
Well, not really, he came for his favorite carrot.
In Beijing Zoo, they feed Pandas with carrots too,
which we don't do in Chengdu Panda Base.
Like all Pandas, he looks so happy to
have his favorite food!
The funny thing about 大地(DaDi) is that
he has black fur on the top of his head, which is
definitely his charm point. Even if he makes a
serious face, it just makes me laugh!
So cute!
After carrrots, he stayed there for a while
to show me his pretty face.
This is 古古(GuGu) born Sep 25 1999, 108kg.
He puts his nose between the bars, but
he has a cute round face, and it doesn't work like the
Japan born brothers in Chengdu Panda Base.
古古(GuGu)'s charm point is, that he shows his
teeth whenever he smiles.
And he is also an entertainer. Strikes a pose
many times, to show off his charm.
Can you see his teeth? It's like a TV Commercial for a
tooth paste or something! He has beautiful white teeth,
and that's probablly why he wants to show it all the time.
This is the Panda Cake in Beijing Zoo.
They steam a large lot, and then cut them into small
square size, weigh them and feed the Pandas.
This is also Panda snacks.
The ingredients are the same, but it is more dry and crunchy.
This is JiNi that came to Beijing a few months ago.
She was born Nov 4 1993, and weighs 90kg.
She had twin babies this year, but one died and one
is in Ya'an at the moment to be taken good care of.
JiNi's bamboo feces.
And this one is different from the ones we see in Chengdu.
We can see some carrots in it. But the smell isn't bad.
This is 萌萌(MengMeng), my favorite Panda in Beijing Zoo!
She was born Sep 13 2006 and weighs 109kg.
Everytime I visit Beijing Zoo (More than 10 times a year)
she is running around, climbing trees, and playing on the
platform, and all the visitors smile and laugh at her
cute and active behaviour! I was so happy to be so close
to her!
"Hello, do I know you?" I think I've seen you
so many times outside."
"HAHAHA, I think I know you!"
(No, she's just eating Panda Cakes...)
She has a cute lovable round face and round ears.
And she smiles to me! So charming!
Afterwards when we went outside, 萌萌(MengMeng)
was sleeping on the platform.
This is 瑛華(YingHua), born Aug 17 2003 and weighs 123kg.
She had twin babies this year, but one died and one is in
Ya'an at the moment to be raised in a perfect condition.
She was eating bamboo.
Looks young and healthy!
She stayed in front of the door so that
I could take pictures of her.
And because it was -4°C this day,
the water turned to ice, which the
keepers told me that it is not a problem
for the Pandas because this is quite normal
in the wild.
This is 楽楽(LeLe) born Sep 8 1986.
She lives in a place 20 minutes away from
the Panda House in a quiet and warm place
because she is very old.
The visitors cannot see her now, but
I was happy to meet her.
In the afternoon, she was taking a nap.
She looked up when I went there, but
I couldn't take a picture, and she
didn't wake up while I was there...
These are the Olimpic Pandas.
6 one year old cubs came to Beijing Zoo
in 2008 for the Beijing Olimpic, and now there is only 3.
2 has already gone back to Ya'an, and unfortunately one
died. These 3 are going back to Ya'an next month.
I will miss them so much!!
They were so small when I visited them in 2008,
and now they have grown so big.
From front, 清風(QingFeng) 華奥(HuaAo), and 文雨(WenYu).
This is 文雨(WenYu) looking up from below.
And just the same as 幸浜(XingBang) in Chengdu, she
tried to climb up the wall to shake hands with me.
She came quite close!
This is 華奥(HuaAo) showing off her fresh bamboo to me.
She brought a bunch of bamboo to eat on her favorite spot.
This is the bamboo storage room.
They bring fresh bamboo every 2~3 days.
I took a picture with all the keepers.
On the left is researcher Mr Liu Xue Feng, who showed
me around this day. Thank you Mr Liu Xue Feng!
Today is my last day in Beijing, and I will be back in Tokyo tomorrow.
Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara
