Pandas Live on

Panda country, Ya'an, China and its famous covered bridge

During most of our time on the Earthwatch expedition, we stayed in the city of Ya'an, China at the Ibis hotel there.  I would certainly recommend this hotel, very nice, right off the Qingyi River and covered bridge.  They had a small restaurant where we would eat breakfast. 

As a group we met up in the lobby each morning at 8:30 to catch a ride up to the Ya'an, Bifengxia Panda Base.  Arrangements had been made with four local people who drove us in their cars.  

I tried getting video of the scenery to and from the base because we do climb up into the mountains to get to the base, but it was difficult in the car with 3 others.  Beautiful scenery, with the rivers and waterfalls along with the individual family farms and small shops that held locally grown fruits and vegetables, freshly butchered meats as well as all kinds of stores and restaurants.

Didn't realize that furniture making was so big there.  Beautifully carved out of huge tree trunks that you would see sitting outside the shops.

We would get back into town from working at the base all day around 6 pm and then meet up for dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants.  So I didn't get much time to explore the city, unfortunately, but I did get up for one sunrise setting up on the covered bridge to capture what kind of activity took place.  Am waiting for our group to upload their photos, because I believe there are a few shots of us at dinner.  We tried about 5 different restaurants including the 'hot pot' where the food is cooked at the table in these huge kettles.

The bridge itself could use some touching up, but not sure of the overall condition.  There are shops inside on the lower level, I don't think the upper two levels are being used, I tried to get up there but it was blocked off.  Here you can buy some of the famous Sichuan tea.  

 

As the influx of money has helped the country, you can see how it is making a difference in the cities also. Their clothes shops have all of the latest styles and the people of Ya'an dress very well.  You can see the impact of the use of automobiles, scooters has on the city.  There is very little space for them to park as most of the shops sit right on the roadways and interestingly, they have some stoplights and stop signs, but basically everyone comes and goes pretty orderly using their horns to communicate with each other as they move about.  

I couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom about they way they could move around among each other in traffic, driving across lanes, scooting in and around each other.  No yellow or dashed lines telling them they had to drive per those rules we find in the United States.  Just alot of honking.  lol

Here is a little glimpse of the city of Ya'an, China.  Of course I had to add a panda into the video so you will see Suzie at the end.  

The next video I put together will begin with our work at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base.

 

Amazing journey, working with the pandas in SW China

Hooray, I am finally getting all caught up from my trip to China this last October and am now beginning the process of story telling as I call it, of what I saw and did while working and visiting three panda bases in SW China.

I still feel like I am on cloud nine and going over the videos brings back so many wonderful memories of not only the beautiful, graceful and playful giant pandas but having been part of an Earthwatch expedition I had the opportunity to meet some very interesting and dedicated people. 

The people of China are so friendly and hospitable and the part of China that we were in is so beautiful with its historical towns, long stretching mountains, flowing rivers and waterfalls.  

The Sichuan food that is so famous was beyond my expectations.  I could not eat the spicy dishes, I tried but let me tell you, they are not kidding about HOT & SPICY!  But some of our group did partake in them and it was fun to watch their reactions to the spices.  Thank You, to our group leaders who did arrange for the restaurants to prepare spicy and non spicy dishes because the flavors that come from the art of mixing these wonderful sauces with the locally grown vegetables is to die for.    

I took part in a Earthwatch Institute expedition that was titled 'On the Trail of Giant Pandas'.  There were 9 groups that were set up each spending a different length of time.   The first group started back in May 2012 and our group ended the series at the end of October 2012.

Earthwatch had coordinated everything with the exception of travel, which you would have to do on your own.  Once we arrived at the designated location in Chengdu, everything was arranged for us, lodging, meals, transportation and including working with the scientist and keepers at the Ya'an Bifengxia panda base and the Wolong panda base.   

Our group lasted two weeks, which went by extremely fast, I could have stayed there another month!   Our Earthwatch guide Justin, assures me Earthwatch will continue the panda program once they have gone over this years program with the staff at the panda base. 

This first video is really just an introduction. It was recorded at the Ya'an Bifengxia panda base but as I continue with future videos, I will try to explain what we did at the bases and the great work that the members of the bases in the Wolong Reserve are doing.  They are truly dedicated to helping the plight of giant pandas and really sacrifice alot to live up in the mountains to do this challenging work.  Thank You to all of them.

We were not able to see the new panda base that has recently opened in Genda, as they were in their final stage of construction before opening and we would have only gotten in their way.  Would have loved to have seen it though.  But we saw and were entralled by so many other sights and goings on at the other bases, that I know you will enjoy learning about tremendous work that is going on at these bases through these videos.

In future videos, you will also see  what the town of Ya'an is like, where we stayed during the first part of our journey along with the new hotel that is still under construction in the town of Wolong where we stayed at the end of the second week, called the Mountain Fungus Inn.  I stayed a couple of nights beyond the Earthwatch expedion so I could visit the panda base in Chengdu, so I will have some videos of that and the city of Chengdu also.

If you have any questions about the Earthwatch trip, the panda bases or anything you see in my videos, you can email me at dganna@pandasliveon.com.

Enjoy.

 

Giant Pandas and Mass Extinction, No Way!

Let's stand by Mei Xiang and all of the other pandas in the world and do something about climate change!

After all the years of studying the giant panda and trying to understand their needs along with finding ways to improve their breeding, now comes the bad news about climate change and its adverse affect on bamboo the main staple of the pandas.  

With China growing so drastically in the industrial sector and now more and more citizens are purchasing cars, this will be a major hurdle to overcome.  Up to this point a group of scientist have been working closely with the pandas, at the urging of the government, to do everything they can to help save pandas from extinction.  

Research bases and reserves were set up in the mountains where the giant panda lives, to protect their now limited habitat from further human destruction.  Having just returned from China and talking with the scientist at one of the bases, it was comforting to know the great progress they have made in so many areas that have negatively affected the lives of these great bears.  But now comes the ultimate test.  

There is an article out, that discusses the impact of climate change and how the warming temperatures will destroy the existing bamboo creating a mass extinction of the panda unless the problems of climate change are taken seriously.  Of course there is mention of developing a bamboo that will grow in warmer climates, but will the nutrient value be adequate?

This is not acceptable, governments looking for an easy way out in the solution to climate change.  We have to stop or greatly reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses once and for all!  We have allowed this problem to exist for too long now and to think that someone could suggest that having the giant panda go through a mass extinction is what will wake the world up to the climate change problem is ludicris! 

 

The regions where the giant panda lives, is a magnificent site to see and yet is sad to see how small and extreme an area that these bears now live in.   It appears to me over the course of their lives they have been running from man's dominance all their lives.  Where they once inhabited large areas in China and other regions, they are now limited to a very segmented area that is at a very high elevation.  (Click on graphics above to see full size)

The above graphic shows the mountain ranges in China, the pandas are currently living for the most part in the (Qinling and Hengduan Mountains).  Very rugged, rocky and cold.  So, for some who are saying the pandas need to move to a colder habitat or a higher elevation, I say you don't know what you are talking about.

Thanks to Jack Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University, who bravely is speaking out about this problem.  Whereas, many scientists, government officials and the ever consuming public are turning a blind eye to climate change, Mr. Liu is not, and I commend him for it.  Here are several links to Jack Liu's paper.  Read it and take action, now.  

Pandas bamboo may be lost to climate change,

Pandas kiss bamboo goodbye with climate change,

Climate change threatens pandas.