Giant Pandas (with PandaCam)

It has been said that that major historic events are often triggered by small seemingly acts that have far reaching affects. One example was in the early 1970's when President Nixon visited mainland China for the first time. Today, that may not seem like such a big deal. But back then, it was a major historic event. One of the outcomes of that visit was a gift from the Chinese government to the United States of an animal that was very rare. That gift is the subject of today's Family First Site.

The name of the site (and the Chinese gift) is Giant Pandas. Giant pandas are black and white bears that live in temperate-zone bamboo forests in central China. Among the best recognized—but rarest—animals in the world, they have come to symbolize endangered species and conservation efforts. As few as 1,600 giant pandas survive in the mountain forests of central China. Another 120 are in Chinese breeding facilities and zoos, and about 20 live in zoos outside China. Two of them were gifts to the United States in 1972, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling. They were the most popular attraction at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. during their lifetime. The zoo scientists here have become leaders in the field of giant panda biology and conservation, in a large part due to the Chinese gift.

What makes this site so interesting today is the recent birth of a baby panda. Female Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub at 3:41 a.m. on July 9. Mother and cub seem to be doing fine, considering the baby's size is only a few ounces, and the mother weighs hundreds of pounds. The mother panda seems to be adapting to her new role as mother. Is it possible to view the mother and baby live via two webcams that can be found at this site. Newborn pandas weigh just a few ounces, so the baby may be difficult to spot. You may see it being cradled and nursing.

This is an exciting scientific and natural event. At this site you can learn about the pandas, and how threatened they are. Thanks to the research done at the National Zoo, it may be possible to save these beautiful creatures from extinction. To think this would not have been possible without the gift from China to the United States over 30 years ago. That gift eventually led to the formation of diplomatic ties between the US and China. Before that, they were simply ignored on the world stage. That has all changed now, and for the better.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/

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