Back in the fall of 2005, Lily and I became obsessed with watching the National Zoo’s Pandacam. The zoo had a squeeably cute baby panda named Tai Shan, and Lily and I spent hours watching his antics online.
In the spring of 2006, we visited my parents in Atlanta, and one of our excursions was a trip to Zoo Atlanta, which has a pair of pandas. Lily got to sit just on the other side of the glass from a panda, and she could have cared less. She was far more interested in reading her map.
Ella, on the other hand, was fascinated. After seeing the pandas, Knittergran got suckered into buying the girls stuffed pandas, and Lily’s collection was begun. Our house is now filled with stuffed pandas of all shapes and sizes along with books on pandas and a DVD all about Tai Shan’s first year at the National Zoo.
Last summer, we went to Zoo Atlanta again, and Lily was far more interested in the pandas. If she could have taken one home with her, she would have.
This fall, a baby panda was born at Zoo Atlanta, and we began watching him online through the Zoo’s Pandacam. Lily wanted to hug him and squeeze him and call him George.
On Monday, the kids and I went to Zoo Atlanta, and Lily got to see a real live baby Panda. I think she can die happy now.
Baby Panda Po was at his cutest, hanging upside-down, falling off logs, ignoring his mother. I think we all could have spent hours watching him, except Campbell was hungry and whiny.
If you’re ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend a trip to the Zoo. Seeing Po is worth the price of admission alone.
3 comments:
They are way too cute...I think you NEED one as a pet :-)
We were fortunate enough to see the baby panda, Tai Shan, at the National Zoo in D.C. before she was shipped back to her home country. Like your daughter, I too would have taken her home with me if I could have.
They really are delightful things aren't they. We only have 2 in Australia and they're in Melbourne so I've never seen them Clare's favourite stuffed toy was a Panda given as a Christening present . . he travels the world with her and is known as Humber because she couldn't say Panda. Such memories.
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