Trip to the Beijing Zoo

Well, I finally made it to the Beijing Zoo. After being in China for nearly a year and a half, it was about time I scoped it out. I had always wanted to visit the zoo. The Beijing Zoo is one of the few places you can see a Panda. However, I was told the Summer is not a good time to go because of the crowds, the heat, and the stink. I was told not to go during the winter, because it's cold and the animals are not outside. Basically, it seems any time you go will be the wrong time. SO I finally defied what I heard and went anyway. It helps a lot if you have company, because going alone is not as fun. Fortunately one of my English students, who is also a student at Renmin University accompanied me.

The first thing to see is the Pandas. The Pandas also have the nicest living space at the zoo, probably because they are a big attraction. Since we went on a Monday, fortunately there was no crowd at all. The Panda obviously don't know they are the star attraction and don't play to the crowds. One was chomping away under a massive bamboo tree and another was laying face down snoring. They are still very cute though. They are not as big as the bears I think of in North America. Pandas are not even as tall as me. But probably weigh double or triple what I do.
We visited the birds, monkeys, ostriches, zebras, rhinos, tigers, lions, and even little coyotes. I thought it was nice to see a coyote. I remember seeing them run in the street or in the desert at home in Arizona.
Some of the more interesting animals included the Mandarin duck. I had never seen a more colorful and beautiful duck before. It was so interesting looking.
The Rhino was really big. It really looked like a tank. It's poop was really huge too, chunks as big as fax machines. The Rhino pen did look lonely though with its powerful concrete walls and giant steel bars.


The tiger was also really amazing. I was watching it pacing back and forth before it was to be fed. You could see the look of ferocious hunger in its movements. It was also really big. I imagined for a moment what I read about Roman gladiators, slaves or criminals being tossed into the ring to face these hungry animals. For an instant, I could imagine how fearful it may have been.


These tigers were really big. Once they were eating you could hear them snap big cow bones in their jaws. Scary!
There is a story from a famous Chinese classic about Wu Song. It's a story as well known in China as the George Washington and the cherry tree. Wu Song saved a village by killing a white tiger that was attacking people around the village. He was so powerful, that despite being drunk, killed the tiger with three punches to its head. After dragging the dead animal's body into town for everyone to see, he became a hero and legend.