Panda Father Lebao Enjoys Bamboo Feast at Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do

On the 7th, panda father Lebao happily eats bamboo at Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. / Yang Soo-yeol, video media reporter

“Lebao (father panda) has woken up. “Please prepare dinner.”

At 1pm on the 7th, a report of the scene came in via the radio. Pandas eat and sleep for half the day. When you wake up, hunger is at its peak due to an empty stomach. I followed the zookeeper Kang Cheol-won catch 10kg of bamboo.

This is Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. As around 8,000 people come to see pandas every day, viewing time is limited to 5 minutes. In other words, within 5 minutes, you have to move the panda into the inner room, place bamboo and woto (bread made by mixing corn flour and soybean flour with eggs), and clean the dirt There is an inner room on both sides of the bangsajang. First, I opened the inner room across from me. Le Bao didn’t move. I opened the inner room on our side and he came in there. I faced Le Bao with the iron bars between them. Thick neck and shoulders, hands the size of my face, and sharp claws moving. It finally feels real. Pandas are wild animals from the bear family of the carnivorous order.

◇ Complete the mission in 5 minutes

There is no time to appreciate it. I went into the bangsajang, placed the bamboo, and applied wotowoo to the leaves. It was like mixing treats while feeding a cat. Cleaning up the mess wasn’t that difficult. Lebao is just dirt in water. Fu Bao grows on the ground. It is said that the younger you are, the more you hide your dirt, and the older you are, the more you are proud of it.

Fu Bao / Reporter Lee Hye-un

There was a lot of dirt that looked like mugwort rice cakes in the pool inside the room. Subtle green tea scent. Zoo keeper Kang said, “Pandas only eat bamboo and they can barely digest it, so their poo doesn’t smell.” After clearing the surroundings and leaving, I moved Le Bao from the inner room to the room. Pandas only move 1 to 1.5 kilometers a day to reduce energy consumption. However, when Lebao saw the food, he moved at high speed.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

Sit with your back against the chair and eat while pouring the powder from Woto into your stomach. Then, hold the bamboo stalk, pick the ones you like, gather the leaves with your teeth, and chew them all at once. Pandas have a muscular false thumb that allows them to easily hold bamboo. The teeth are shaped like blades, so they can cut even tough bamboo leaves at the same time. The short shaped stalks are crushed and eaten as sorghum crackers. I also like bamboo shoots, but it’s not the season right now. Watching them eat like this for 3 minutes was the longest I’ve ever encountered a panda during my part-time job as a panda keeper.

This bamboo was cleaned and trimmed by a reporter (left in the photo on the right) who had worked part-time as a panda keeper on this day together with keeper Kang Cheol-won (right). / Yang Soo-yeol, video media reporter

◇2 pyeong bamboo storage rooms

I spent most of my time in the bamboo storage room, which was about 2 pyeong in size, behind the silver iron door. Panda means ‘bamboo eating bear’. Each animal eats 50kg per day. Panda World has a family of five, including father ‘Le Bao’, mother ‘Ai Bao’, the first natural child born in Korea, beloved eldest daughter ‘Fu Bao’, and twins ‘Rui Bao’ and ‘Hui Bao’ , as well as a relative red panda.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

The bamboo that the pandas eat here comes from Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do. There may be some foreign matter on it. Bend the hose slightly and wash with a strong stream of water. Then do the distribution. The bamboo that pandas like is 1 to 2 years old. The legs are shiny and glossy. The purple colored snow porridge is my favorite special food. Zookeeper Kang said, “If you eat snow bamboo leaves, it tastes sweet.” I chewed it briefly, but it was full of bitterness. Pandas, who were originally carnivores, are said to have started eating bamboo as hunting became difficult due to climate change and they lost competition with surrounding carnivores.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

In addition to bamboo, pandas eat carrots, apples, and ‘Wotow’ grain bread. This is to supplement the missing nutrients with bamboo alone. A slightly savory smell of injeolmi. I was curious about what it would taste like, but I held back for the sake of the panda.

◇ Health check in the morning

A zookeeper’s day starts at 8 am. When I get to work, the first thing I do is disinfect my shoes and change into my zookeeper uniform. Green shirt, brown pants, dark gray vest. Originally, a brown jumper was given, but it was not necessary to wear it. This is because Panda World is warm at 25 degrees, which is the panda’s favorite temperature. I have to move my body non-stop, so I end up sweating. Pandas have short and thick intestines, so they eat, swaddle and sleep constantly to survive. Each animal excretes 20kg per day. Beside me, I constantly wash and carry bamboo and clean dirt.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

So what I’m going to say from now on is Zookeeper Kang’s daily routine. He comes to work at 8 am, greets the panda family and checks the condition of their stool and fur. Starting at 8:30 am, it’s time for a health check. After checking the condition of the mouth, nutritional supplements are given, body temperature is measured, and blood is drawn. We also have ‘health training’ time where we exercise together. Next, food such as bamboo is placed in the room, and Lebao and Fubao are moved from the inner room to the room. It’s a ‘commute’ where you have to greet visitors.

Graphics = Song Yunhye

◇ Diary of parenting twins

Now the zookeeper Kang enters the inner room where the mother Ai Bao and the twins are. This is a postnatal care center for pandas. Get powdered milk for the twins and feed for Aibao. While Ai Bao eats bamboo, Zookeeper Kang plays with the twins. The twins started crawling after 100 days. Although the dangerous period has passed, they move around wildly, so they need a lot of work.

The difference between the twins and Fu Bao is that Fu Bao, who was an only child, did not want to be separated from Ai Bao because of his mother’s chewing gum. However, the twins play amongst themselves while their mother eats. Meanwhile, Zookeeper Kang is cleaning up the surrounding area. Taking care of mothers and children like this, it is already 1 PM. It’s time to prepare dinner for Le Bao and Fu Bao.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

There are currently three zookeepers at Panda World. They eat lunch in three shifts, clean Panda World, maintain the release area, and manage the safety of visitors. pandas have eyes[雪]Because they like snow, sometimes in winter, they spray snow with a snow blower.

Then it gets dark at 5:20 PM. It’s time for the pandas to enter the boudoir. Fu Bao, who was raised by people and likes people, hates ‘going home from work’. However, for security reasons, it cannot be helped. Bring it to the inner room and clean out the radiation room. Since pandas eat late night snacks at 11 pm and 2 am, they prepare bamboo late night snacks in advance. Pandas eat five meals a day, including a late night snack.

◇ Lebao, the wild goose father

I was in Panda World all day, but I couldn’t remember the face of the panda. What I remember is the back of the bamboo head and the zoo from the river. At least I watched Le Bao more than Fu Bao. The one with brown fur covered in dirt is the fubao, and the pure white one is the lebao. The workers said, “Father Lebao needs more love.” After pregnancy and birth, mothers stay with their children for 18 to 24 months, but fathers cannot even see their children’s faces. This is because pandas are independent entities and fathers cannot participate in childcare.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

Although father and daughter have never met each other since birth, Fu Bao is definitely Le Bao’s daughter. The habit of eating while lying down, a flat and cute nose, and an outgoing personality that likes people. It is said that Le Bao also seems to know that he is becoming a father. When they were young, they were very playful and whined to play, but after the children were born, they quietly went into the middle of the room to greet visitors. Like a ‘wild goose father’ who works remotely for his family.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

Like the zookeeper Kang I saw on YouTube before going to work, I thought, ‘What if Fu Bao sticks to me and won’t come off?’ I was worried. However, I couldn’t even get close to Fubao. Zookeeper Kang said, “Allowing him to smell other zookeepers like this is also part of the separation training for Fubao, who will be leaving soon.” All pandas must one day return to their owners, China. Before the flowers bloom next year, Fu Bao leaves for his hometown to find a mate. It’s time to practice breaking up. It is harder for those who are left behind than for those who leave. A farewell ceremony for Fu Bao is also being prepared. Fu Bao, born in 2020 weighing 197g, now weighs 98.8kg.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience

After changing clothes to leave work, I said hello to Kang Zookeeper. “I’m sorry I haven’t done much,” he said. “It’s similar to what the youngest zookeepers do. Usually, when I apply to be a zookeeper, I imagine playing with baby pandas. But I am in my 36th year. To live comfortably with wild beasts, you need to do odd jobs, make sacrifices, and spend time waiting. “Then, the moment comes when animals allow us to be by our side.”

I was hoping to get closer to the pandas the next time we met, and thought I’d give my dad a call on the way home.

Everland Fubao and zookeeper Lebao have an experience
#set #clean #bamboo #happy #Fubao