Panda-monium

My boss sent me an email with some really cute pictures of the 16 baby pandas in China, but all the pictures looked like they could have been joke photos using stuffed-animal toys from the zoo's gift shop. Here's one:


Not much activity.

So I did a google search on "16 baby pandas" and got this article with a link to a slideshow over on the right, and the slideshow has some great pictures of the babies doing genuine active things, like trying to climb out of their crib. Here's a photo from the slideshow:


Too cute!

After a little more thought about the email photos (the fake-looking ones), I have come to believe they're genuine pictures of genuine baby pandas. The last time I was at the San Diego Zoo's panda exhibit, one of the adult pandas was lying on his belly on top of a tree stump. His head and both arms hung down, dangling from the stump, and he lay there for a really long time without moving much. Like an oversized Beanie Baby.

So lying around like slugs (or stuffed animals) may very well be the panda's natural condition.

Take a look at the slideshow. The photos are great.