THE PANDA!

Pandas like to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices.

LUNCH BREAK AT THE ZOO

On a rainy day in Chongqing, we visited the zoo's panda pavilion at lunch time.

We were able to see six pandas doing what pandas do best--eat bamboo. Although there were bamboo structures similar to a school jungle gym in each enclosure, we were told that these gentle giants mostly eat and sleep.

It soon became obvious why these intriguing bears are considered China's National Treasure!

They are solitary creatures and don't mind turning their backs on visitors.

UNLESS THEY'RE BUSY EATING!

 ...and eating

...and eating

                                                                   ..and eating some more.

 The last enclosure we visited seemed larger than the others, and the eldest female resides there. She's the mother/grandmother of several of the pandas in the zoo and seemed happy to rest on her laurels.

A panda cub is pink, blind and toothless when born and weighs from 3 to 5 ounces, about 1/800th of its mother's weight. When we visited, a mother and her newborn cub were in isolation, so we weren't able to see this tiny miracle in person.

Grandma bear enjoys her lunch--and solitude.

In the past pandas were thought to be rare and noble creatures. The Empress Dowager Bo was buried with a panda skull in her vault. Today pandas are rare and considered endangered. Their natural habitat in the Sichuan province was been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.