Farewell to Mao Mao

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past week, I think I have a new found appreciation of Courtney's ability to hunt down and post such amazing artwork!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that Courtney and I are both avid Panda lovers. In the wake of earthquake in China we were deeply saddened by news that the infamous Wolong Nature Reserve had suffered severe damage in the quake. All but two of the 64 Panda's housed at the center were accounted for after the quake. Sadly, the body of nine year old Mao Mao, mother of five, was found Monday crushed by debris. Panda Bear Xao Xao is still missing...

The Associated Press reports today:

Nine-year-old Mao Mao, the mother of five at the breeding center, was found Monday, her body crushed by a wall of her enclosure when the river behind it swelled with landslide debris.

On Tuesday, panda keepers and other workers placed her remains in a small wooden crate and wheeled her quietly to a patch of ground outside the breeding center where a freshly dug hole waited.

The center's director, Zhang Hemin, stood with his cap in hand and then shoveled in a few spades of dirt. Mao Mao's keeper, He Changgui, stepped forward, crying, and placed two apples and a piece of bread by the covered grave. There were three minutes of silence.

"It's like you could say something and she would understand," he said. "If you were happy, she was happy too."


Our heart goes out to all of the victims of Chinese earthquake, and to those who were lucky enough to know Mao Mao personally.

Mao Mao at six months


Mao Mao in 2003



You can read more at Yahoo News.