Save The Poor Pandas!

Feed

Image 1 of 4

Author: Tor King

Started: February 27, 2006, 2:10:56 am

Target: Someone

Category: Environment

Supporters:

Goal:

100

Goal Progress:

Status

Active

These Poor Animals Are Being Killed Every Minute.
They Kill Them And Eat Them.EVEN WEAR THEM!!!!!
Their Habitat is Being Destrosyed And They Have No Where To Go!Help These Poor creatures!!!
PLEASE!!!!
Here's a story about Pandas:

What a busy boy Tai Shan has been over the past few days. On Friday, he figured out how to get up the forked saw-toothed oak tree at the front of the yard. He was very pleased with himself, as it was a very windy day and the tree was just a-swaying in the breeze. It was also fun to look down on the keepers standing at the bottom of the tree looking up at him. He was coaxed out of the tree and taken inside so that an additional tree guard could be put in place. For security all of our pandas are locked indoors at night. We have restricted Tai's climbing height for now to ensure he can get back down at the end of the day or can be retrieved by a keeper.

The next day he headed out on a mission right back to the tree, and launched himself upwards into a purposeful climb, which was interrupted by the new metal tree guard. He was sure he could solve the problem on Sunday morning before he finally gave up. Coaxing Tai Shan out of the short tree in the evening to come inside is becoming quite a challenge. He is able to climb all over the small, mangled river birch and the deadfall in his yard as well as the rock work indoors. One day he walked along the window ledge inside, just to show us what a skilled climber he is.

In the wild, panda cubs Tai's age park themselves in trees for hours, where their mothers will leave them to go feed on bamboo for hours. As the cubs mature, they may be left for one or two days. Before we understood this behavior, young pandas were considered abandoned by their mothers and were “rescued” by well-intentioned villagers who happened upon them. Now, any pandas removed from the wild after 1996 are not granted entry to the United States, under our endangered species permit policy for giant pandas.

Tai Shan also climbed the mesh howdy window in the wooden gate between the yards to look at Tian Tian. Tai was fascinated and pawed at his father through the double mesh. Tian took a deep sniff but otherwise just looked him over. Now that they seem to have noticed each other it will be fascinating to see what happens next.February 17: Portrait of the Young Tree as a Bed, Trampoline,
Scratching Post, Toy...

Tai Shan has a new favorite sleeping place. It is a small river birch tree at the front of the yard. This tree grows in a funny, bent-over position, due to an encounter with Tian Tian last year. Young trees bounce as well as a trampoline, and pandas enjoy this feature tremendously. Tai now has the perfect tree, which provides a horizontal perch to rest on. It also provides several branches for him to reposition and scratch against. When Mei is in the mood, they can play the tumble-and-fall game, with a few somersaults added in. The poor trees take a beating in the process and usually need to be replaced eventually. Even the mature, old favorite willow tree in Tian's yard is showing the wear of time after five years of attention from Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. It will need to be trimmed any day now.

February 14: Snow Day!

After snow fell throughout the night, the yard became a brand new world on Sunday morning! Tai Shan experienced his first significant snow. After a brief taste of the powder, he plowed right out into his wonderland. Climbing a snow-covered limb took several tries before he figured out that if you slide up with your belly, while hanging on with all fours, you can make slow progress. Later, Mei Xiang and Tai had a good play session involving lots of rolling and sliding, as well as bouncing and falling off of the deadfall repeatedly. With their thick snow-frosted fur, pandas neaten up again after a good shake. Pandas both young and old really love the snow. The most sedate panda will lose it completely over a little snow. It really makes us wish for our own snow machine.

In response to some email about last Friday's update: The nicknames we mentioned are endearing but descriptive remarks about a sometimes determined and stubborn little bear cub! We say them in humor only and not because we have any negative feelings for him.

February 9: Tai Is Seven Months Old Today

Now seven months old, Tai Shan weighs 33 pounds. His cuteness has taken on a longer and lankier profile. While his body slowly matures, his attitude has rapidly expanded. Among the panda staff, Tai has a new set of nicknames and descriptions, like "little toad," "little monster," "wild man," and "rotten child," just to name a few. When he is awake, if he is not chewing or climbing on Mei to get her to play, he is trying to "help" the keepers move bamboo. A new soccer ball will provide some distraction so that the keepers can finish the task.

We still cannot confirm that he is eating bamboo, although we all think that some is now going down. What a mess the enclosures are in the morning! When we come in, it looks as though there has been an extended play session involving water and hay.

February 6: Up a Small Tree

Today Tai Shan climbed up a small redbud near the fence by Tian's yard. He got very comfortable in the bare branches and stayed there for hours. In the wild, panda cubs climb trees to stay safe from would-be predators when their mothers are eating bamboo elsewhere.

I Got This Story From www.panda.com
Tai also climbed the big scale today and was weighed at 33 pounds. All those pounds are thanks to Mei's milk—we still have no evidence that he's eaten bamboo.