As Meghan and I liftoff from Chengdu International Airport, we wanted to thank everyone for the requests and comments on our website and social media. The interest in our research is a welcome boost that keeps us moving and updating. Believe it or not, pandas are tiring… But not for the reason you might think. We tracked our own movement one day using the iPhone health app, and it told us that we had walked almost 12 miles at the Bifengxia Panda Base. Who knew that panda research would be such great exercise?
What good is it if you don’t have a little fun. We were excited to have just received a new panda poop freezer in Dujiangyan.
We will publish a few more Panda Profiles/pictures after we return, including (Lin Bing and her other cub, Yuan Yuan, and Hai Zi). But in the meantime, we’d like to share a few new photos as well as some of our posted favorites. Once again, thanks to everyone, including our wonderful interns- Daniel Horton & Angelica Ruedas, for working so hard to collect data and holding down the fort. You guys are awesome.
Meghan, Nathan, Daniel, Angelica
If you are interested in joining us one one of our many future trips to Bifengxia in 2016, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. In the meantime, keep the questions and comments coming. We’ll get to them after we wear off a little jet-lag.
This picture has a particular purpose. You know who you are RS & MO.
Taken just before we started our fall trip. We do love the panda trucker hats.
They come in pink as well.
A split second later and I wouldn’t have gotten this shot of Meghan. Great photo.
Zhen Zhen being a good mother and keeping a watchful eye on cub #2
A true bear hug- Xi Xi and cub
Looks like this one is waving at us
The cubs really do make good photo subjects
The picture of Meghan with the cub is another of my #1 pictures.
Hi, Nate and Meghan – It was great running into you on your last day at the base and have a small chat. Thank goodness it had stopped raining. Was it Angelica that was in the nursery keeping a close eye on the 5 little ones in their baskets? It sounds interesting to join one of your future trips. Let me know when you have one and what it entails.
It was great seeing you too! We always love running into people and are pleasantly surprised when people know us from the blog 🙂
It was Angelica watching over the babies in the nursery. We’d love to have you on a trip – we’re actually starting to put out “feelers” about what people would be interested in. Right now we’re debating running special trips during breeding season, summer to see personality studies, and the fall for babies. The goal would be to share our research in each season and give people a behind the scenes peak at what we do with some of the trip money going toward a donation. I think some lectures/informative dinners and brief training with our interns could be fun but don’t know if people would be into this. We could also arrange the typical volunteering with the bear’s keepers. We’d love to hear thoughts on what you’d be interested in and would love to have you come visit! It was so nice meeting you and I hope the rest of your trip went well! Do email me with further questions!
Sounds like perfect plan.