Chow Leng

Chowleng lived with her mother Pang in the forests of China. Her Mother Pang was part of a research program to study pandas in the wild.  She had been fitted with a special collar so the researchers could track her and find out where she was in the mountain regions in China.


Chowleng’s days consisted of eating, playing and sleeping. He ate a lot. A panda’s diet consists mostly of bamboo. He would find an ideal spot and sit and eat until his little belly was full and then go to the den and sleep nestled up against his mom’s warm fur. He would often have a little chew on his mom’s collar, what was this strange thing his mom had around her neck? Who put it there and why he wondered?  His mother Pang had been darted and tagged with this collar from an early age and spent some time in a cold concrete enclosure, with people jeering at her and much activity around her, people taking samples and photos of her for research purposes.   She had been released into the forest as a study.  Chowleng had never seen a human. 

The researcher, a scientist from the village, had set out his morning with his faithful assistant a student from the college to find Pang and her cub and to collar him and take samples so that they can study him. The villagers were cutting down trees for building houses, fuel and other needs, very quickly the panda’s natural habitat was being destroyed and there weren’t many places for pandas to exist naturally.


Chowleng and his mother were busy sunning themselves and having a nice game of roly poly when Pang heard footsteps, she began to growl. He had never heard this noise from his mom, found it curious as she become louder. He quickly learnt that it meant that he had to scamper back into the den. She was right to growl, it was the researcher with his team, this time unfamiliar faces to her. She did what any mother would do stood her ground. Chowleng peered out from the den curious at these alien figures. Suddenly his mom fell before him, not dead but asleep with a dart. He began to whimper, what were they doing to his mom? Suddenly one came towards him, “hat to do what to do” he thought , the alien , gently lifted him up and held him close, aah he thought this isn’t so bad.  

They put him into bag thing which took his weight , then they used a tape thing to measure his arms and legs. He bit the tape thing,”what was this he thought? “, then one held him tight and he felt little prick “ ouch he thought” the took some blood samples , Then they pulled out a collar, “ now I am special he thought” “ just like my mom” they fasten the collar round his neck., gave him a pat and let him go into the den. .His mom was still asleep the researchers measured her, checked her teeth and took samples and gave her another prick to wake up, they snapped some photos. They left the cub and mother. Pang slowly awoke none the worse for her experience, she called to Chowleng and licked him and made sure he was ok, examining him. After a reassuring cuddle from him mom they settled down to a meal of bamboo shoots and sticks. Pandas are lazy creatures and spend their time eating and sleeping.


Back at the station down the mountain the data was recorded in the book, photos put up. These researchers used their information to keep track of the Mother and cub through the months as Chowleng grew he become familiar with the researchers who would visit and take photos and check up on him. He grew up into a handsome panda.


Without the research and information we will not know how many pandas still exist in the natural environments in small mountain forests in China. Sanctuaries have been set up in Parts of china to protect Pandas and study them. It is a fact that Pandas do not breed well in captivity and when a cub is born it is celebrated by the people and a special ceremony is given to honor the Panda.. Sadly today The pandas in the wild are fast becoming extinct as Logging companies and developers cut down their forests for wood, fuel and land to build properties on. The majority of the worlds pandas are in zoos.