Anyone who really knows me knows that I love Panda Bears! I have loved Panda Bears every since I was little. One of the items on my list of things to do during my life has been to see Panda Bears in person. I was finally able to mark that item off my list. On our way home from Chattanooga David and I spent the night in Memphis. Sunday, September 13th, morning we headed to the Memphis Zoo where they happen to have two Panda Bears, Ya ya and Le le.
There are only 4 zoos in the United States that house the giant panda. The exhibit is absolutely beautiful where the pandas live. The panda exhibit was not crowded at all. We spent a little over an hour with the pandas. I completely fell in love with the pandas. I took several pictures and videos of the two pandas.
We were very fortunate to get there as early as we did; we were able to witness the pandas being fed. The zoo keepers carried fresh wet bamboo into the indoor exhibits (it was rainy that morning) and also brought in tubs of ice with frozen pineapple chunks mixed in as a special treat. I recorded a great video of Ya ya playing in the ice and one of Le le eating the bamboo.
It was very fascinating to watch the pandas eat. They use their paws almost like hands to hold the bamboo, and work the shoots with their teeth to strip the bamboo before they eat it. It reminded me of peeling a banana to eat the fruit. It’s hard to imagine these animals being aggressive. They appeared to be very gentle and docile. Makes you want to go in there and just hug them and love on them!
Yes, we had a great time with the Pandas. It was hard for me to tear myself away. Unfortunately we had to drive all the way back to Oklahoma City that day and could not spend as much time as we would have liked to with the Pandas. It was a great experience overall, and I am glad I was able to visit Ya ya and Le le. I took many good pictures and videos that will help me remember the trip.
