KEN CROSS IN CHINA: Day 22

Panda Dance aka Kung Fu training

Pandas and dancing girls!

Ready for the drive up the hill

White crowned Forktail

Over the wobbly suspension bridge

THE panda at the Foping Panda Base was an unusual brown and white specimen - here seen praying for black colour

Brown Giant Panda – Dandan
In March, 1985 an unusual brown-white giant panda was found and saved in Foping. She was named “Dandan”. When she was found, Dandan was about 13 years old and on her last legs. Doctors spared no effort to rescue her. Dandan recovered gained more than 44 pounds (20 kg). Dandan’s ears, eye sockets, eyelashes, nose, mouth and body stripes were all light brown. With her bright fur, Dandan was praised as “Blonde”, the most beautiful all over the world.

on the move

This Panda base had some of the worst architecture seen since the original Planet of the Apes.

from Wikipedia; The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an Old World monkey in the Colobinae subfamily that is endemic to a small area in temperate, mountainous forests of central and Southwest China. They inhabit these mountainous forests of Southwestern China at elevations of 1,500-3,400 m above sea level. The Chinese name is Sichuan golden hair monkey.

To see these monkeys was the main reason that we travelled to Foping Panda Base as we knew they were easy to see here because the animals had been fed. Now it was a little like Currumbin - flocks of animals coming into feed but they are still wild, unrestrained animals and they were free to leave - and they did so as soon as the food was finished. Their curiosity in other primates was, apparently, not enough to keep them hanging around. They were very handsome monkeys obviously but their antics adn constant socialising made them a pleasure to watch. They reminded me very much of Baboon troops. Males were clearly in charge. Females would casually submit to the male's sexual advances. Every one in the troop could not pass an animal without something physical - fighting, bickering, preening, cuddling - you name it they would do it. They were interested too in the humans [while there was food]. They would boldly stroll out pass the roped barrier and plonk themselves confidently in the mix of people. Or they would reach out an inquiring arm, no doubt hoping for it to be filled. Upon recieving a handshake rather than a handout they would slowly pull their arm back, peer into the empty paw with disappointment and crane their head in another direction looking for more foodstuffs.

The main attraction, as far as we were concerned, were the wild Snub-nosed Golden Monkeys

Here is, not that you need it pointed out, is a boy monkey

a large male

baby

family group preening

from Wikipedia; The golden snub-nosed monkey is endangered due to habitat loss. For instance, lichens are the main staple of the monkey's diet and dead trees have the greatest lichen coverage. Unfortunately, dead trees are harvested, thus reducing the quality of the habitat and availability of food. The monkey is a highly selective feeder, so damage to its habitat seriously impacts the species.^[5]

This primate is found in a number of protected areas, including Baihe Nature Reserve, Foping National Nature Reserve, Shennongjia National Geopark and Wanglang National Nature Reserve. The golden snub-nosed monkey is also listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meaning that international trade in this species is prohibited.^[2]