Words I know in Chinese: still
Times I’ve already felt completely lost in translation: too many, but really the people here are nice and very understanding
Times I’ve eaten at a US restaurant: just 1!
The Beijing Zoo has a long history. It covers an area of around 86 hectares (or over 212 acres – it is huge) and is home to roughly 6,000 animals – the majority that we saw were birds of all shapes and sizes. First to breed giant pandas successfully in captivity in 1963, it also was the first to successfully use artificial insemination with them in 1978. It sits just outside of town (actually, it’s inside compared to where the university is, not a bad taxi though – 20 RMB or $3). Though not free like the St. Louis Zoo, it’s not a bad price to get in (20 yuan again if you want to see the pandas too), and there are estimated to be around 200,000 people trekking to see them daily. It has two Giant Panda buildings that we could find, with 5 or 6 outside enclosures attached, and both were extremely full at the moment.
The largest panda breeding center in China, Bifengxia at the Wolong Nature Reserve, was adjacent to the epicenter of May’s earthquake. Since it sustained heavy damage, killing one panda and leaving another missing to this day, many animals were sent to other centers or to the Beijing Zoo. Lucky us!
Ok, Aerie doesn’t have quite as big a butt as PanPan, the mascot of the Asian Games, but it’s pretty close.
Ok, Aerie doesn’t have quite as big a butt as PanPan, the mascot of the Asian Games, but it’s pretty close.The Panda House of course was the first place we went, since we’ve been told by numerous sources that the black and white teddies are most active in the morning. And who wouldn’t be, with the Beijing summer heat and humidity. We were dead by 1 p.m., and didn’t get there until 10:30 a.m.
They are simply amazing creatures. Almost human-like, they will sit up and use their front paws to hold sticks of bamboo or tear off limbs, then use their extended belly as a plate for leaves as they chomp away. It seems the pandas have a grin while eating. And with all the bamboo I could eat (there were piles of it), I’d be a happy camper too.
Sorry, I took about 120 photos of just the pandas; more can be seen on my photobucket with the link to the left or by email request.
Only about 1,600 pandas live in the wild according to a 2006 study, mostly in Sichuan (the province destroyed by the earthquake). Today, with all the devastation, it is unclear exactly how many survived. An additional 180 have been bred in captivity, many of them at Wolong, and others have been loaned or given to zoos abroad like the San Diego Zoo, with the revenues helping fund conservation programs.
IF YOU ARE AN ANIMAL LOVER, YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT’S TO COME!
Unfortunately, the Beijing Zoo knows who their stars are, and while the panda conditions aren’t quite to par with those at American giant panda exhibits, they are luxury suits compared to the rest of the zoo. We did not travel into the Aquarium at the zoo, since it cost around 120 RMB and that was more than we cared to see for fish and dolphins (so no swimming with them, unfortunately… oh well).One of my books mentioned that Beijing Zoo does not care for their animals well. This was realized as soon as we stepped out of the panda exhibit. ANY zoo in the US is a Hilton compared to what these animals have. Cement slabs. No water. No shade. If they get a toy or living companion, they are lucky.
Bear Hill is a joke. Himalayan Black Bears, endangered in status and recognized by their characteristic V-shape on their chests, get a rubble pit for a habitat. Not even a tree. What’s worse is the begging. With just a drop-off between visitors and the bears underneath, people throw bread and other senseless things to the animals, which have learned to beg for attention. They even sell the bread at the gift shops.The Grizzlies, about half the size of a healthy bear in the wild and matted hair everywhere, have learned the same. One even holds its hind legs to look cute for onlookers, while another stands on its hind legs and looks backward to amuse.
Lion and Tiger Hill is a little better. Still with cement underneath, there is foliage to cover them outside – though no water could be seen in any of the exterior enclosures. Yet, nothing could explain our thoughts as we walked into the den house.
Their cages were smaller than our hotel room, and completely barren. These are extremely endangered species! There are less than 5,000 tigers left in the wild, and yet they get this as a living space. For shame China! One cage housed a Liger even – lion/tiger cross frowned upon by zoological society but enjoyed at places like Siegfried and Roy– and another two extremely rare white Kruger Lions. There are probably less than 1000 white Krugers ever recorded in zoos. Although I could keep writing, I feel pictures speak for themselves.
I took more pictures of other exhibits, but there was too much to think about. The elephants had an indoor area about half that of the old St. Louis Zoo Elephant House, if you can believe it. Sorry for the treehugger rant. It just really hits a nerve when the Beijing Zoo can make you pay to attend and constructs something like the following inside the zoo but cannot care for its animals:
And yes, sorry. It’s not Phil the Gorilla from the St. Louis Zoo, but I just had to join the kids and ride an elephant.
