Panda Cubs - very cute

 When I was eleven years old, I visited Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and I think it was in KL that I saw a beautiful and happy adult Giant Panda bear in a big enclosure.  I will never forget that.

Sixteen (16) panda babies were born in Wolong, Sichuan Province, China, in 2005, including five twins.  The cubs were weighed and measured every five days.  The government of China has created more than 50 Giant Panda reserves, protecting more than 45 percent of the animal's remaining habitat.   The first and largest of these is the Wolong Panda Reserve which was established in 1963.  This and six other reserves in the Province are now part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, established as a World Heritage Site in 2006.

The heaviest Panda cub tipped the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighed about 11 pounds.  Once weaned, the Pandas  attended panda kindergarten.   In August 2006 the Panda cubs had finished their intermediate class of the nursery school, and entered the higher class.  The heaviest of the panda babies was 35 kilograms and the lightest one 28 kilograms.  The Wolong Research Centre researches the panda, breeds Giant Pandas, and releases them into the "wilds" of the Reserves.   The Giant Panda is listed as endangered in the IUCN's (World Conservation Union's) Red List of Threatened Animals. There is estimated to be about 1,600 of them left in the wild.  Because giant pandas are restricted to a small area of China, their status may be the most precarious of all the species of bears.  World interest and research funds from many nations have improved the Giant Pandas prospects, but the species remains vulnerable. Giant Panda bear cubs stay with their mothers in the wild for up to three years before striking out on their own. 

See the photos below, the You Tube videos, and the Panda Club websites below.  The webcam on the Panda Club website is not working at the moment because of the earth-quakes in Sichuan.   The infra-structure of the Centre was damaged, but fortunately no person or panda bear was hurt, as far as the authorities know.   It is photos like these which remind me of our personal responsibilities to respect and co-operate with nature, for ALL animals and Life, and our environment, including Pandas!!  Enjoy.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/PandaFacts/default.cfm

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579740/giant_panda.html

http://www.nbc11.com/news/5467191/detail.html

http://www.pandaclub.net/view_e.jsp?tipid=1156236061517

http://www.pandaclub.net/view_e.jsp?tipid=1152844670677

http://www.kepu.net.cn/english/index.html

http://www.kepu.net.cn/english/pandacam/go/notify.html