A lesser panda saved from the clutches of death last Friday has become the star attraction at Chengdu Zoo in Sichuan Province.
The animal, also known as the red or small panda, is recovering from an afternoon-long ordeal in the Hei shui he Nature Reserve in Dayi County.
The reserve's employee, Xing Chunming, found the creature amid snow-covered trees in the highlands.
"It was covered with snow and frozen stiff," he said.
Xing brought the panda down from the branches with the help of colleagues and wrapped the poor beast in his clothes.
The rescuers then contacted the reserve's administrative department and the Dayi County forestry bureau, which arranged to meet them on the highway at the foot of the mountain.
Buffeted by heavy snowfall and faced with slippery roads 2,800m above sea level, the group spent more than three hours trying to reach the ambulance waiting for them.
When Xing transferred the panda to the ambulance, the creature stirred from the warmth and opened its eyes.
The weary animal was then rushed to the zoo.
On the first two days after its arrival, the panda ate little showing no interest in bamboo leaves.
According to Tian Yuzhong chief of Chengdu zoo, "Lesser pandas are omnivorous in the wild. They prey on birds, eat their eggs and survive on bamboo leaves. Bamboo leaves are their favorite food."
To everyone's delight, the panda is now recovering and may be sent back to where it was found or cared for in the zoo.
Wang Qiang, the chief of the city's wildlife rescue center, said the center has rescued 98 wild animals since it was established in the zoo last November.
Set up in 1953, the Chengdu Zoo, which has three giant pandas on display, won the Global 500 environmental award from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in 1989 for its contributions to the lives of giant pandas.
Questions:
1. Where did the forestry workers find the panda?
2. In which province was the panda found?
3. Is the panda in the story a vegetarian?
4. Why did the zoo win the Global 500 environmental award from the United Nations in 1989?
Answers:
1.Up a tree.
2.Sichuan.
3.No, it also eats meat.
4.For its contributions to the lives of giant pandas.
（英語點津 Celene 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Brendan is an Australian who has been involved in education and writing for over a decade. He has been published most recently for the Tiger Airways Inflight magazine, The Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times and Japan's Hiroshima Outside Magazine. He holds a Masters Degree in Community Development and Management and has resided in China for over 3 years.
