At the Wolong reserve, five staff members were counted among the country's 87,000 dead. They lived, but others didn't prove as fortunate. Zoo employees estimated they received twice as many visitors as usual, as folks clamored to see what exactly makes a panda Olympic (air-conditioned living quarters, for one).Īll the while, it probably didn't escape anyone's attention that these were Sichuan pandas, who less than four weeks ago swayed and trembled alongside countless millions. This past Thursday marked the first time the lucky eight- Mei Xin, Cui Cui, Feng Yi, Fu Wa, Tao Tao, Duo Duo, Huan Huan and Lang Lang-met the public at Beijing Zoo's Panda House. With state television following their every move, they became unwitting symbols of "One World, One Dream," a motto come to life in the earthquake's aftermath as the international community rallied around China's recovery effort.
The better news: eight Wolong pandas, as selected by Internet vote, were designated "Olympic Pandas" and flown from Chengdu to Beijing on May 24. īut here's the good news: there were no reported panda deaths, among the 86 at Wolong or anywhere else (though two did go missing from the reserve). "China's most famous panda reserve exploded as if hit by a megaton bomb," the New York Times wrote. For the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake, there are few, if any, consolations, especially now that storylines out of the area have shifted from hope and unity to corruption, anger and suppression.īut one of the few good stories to appear in the wake of the tragedy-and this at a time when any feel-good story was welcome-was about the condition of Sichuan's giant pandas, especially those housed at the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve, located just 18 miles from the quake's epicenter.
#PANDA HOUSE SERIES#
Last month, a series of earthquakes rocked China's Sichuan Province, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions homeless.
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