PandaForum.com

Hi there we're a British/Chinese couple who live in Chengdu Sichuan - we spend a lot of time exploring the countryside of Sichuan. Last weekend we were out on a birding trip in the Laba He Forest Park (4 hours drive from Chengdu) - however the top spot of this trip had four legs rather than wings we got to see a Red Panda. We were told that a Red panda had been spotted on the track we were walking but so far we only saw and heard the usual Short-tailed Macaques. But a slight movement of branches that I luckily picked up in the corner of my eye brought a big bushy tail that more that gave away its owner my first ever wild Panda. Okay this wasnt a Giant Panda but Red Panda is listed as endangered and in 1999 the IUCN estimated a population fewer than 2,500 although other estimates have put populations quite a bit higher than this. However, arguments over population counts to one side these lovely animals are very rare, and anyone who has viewed them should themselves very lucky indeed! To see more pics of our Panda encounter go to
http://chengdutravel.blogspot.com/20...ing-panda.html