Whether they head to China or take the long walk over the Rainbow Bridge, we never forget the pandas that have meant so much to us, and given us so many hours of joy. It seems only natural that the departed Mehitabel should interview the departed Gao Gao, and then of course, other ghosts of the Panda Chronicles should show up.
That Nixon’s Ghost is such a joker, right?
Be the Bear
Bob T here to keep our spirits up Panda
Once again, time slipped away from me and there is no new ‘toon for today, but I am working on a new Thanksgiving ‘toon and I’ll have it here next week. What’s time to a panda?
Nooz reached me this morning of the passing to the great beyond of Gao Gao, paterfamilias of the PanDiego Zoo for some 20 something years. Gao Gao was one of the great pandas. Wild born, he was brought to the Wolong base as an injured cub, rehabilitated and set free. I don’t know if he had already lost a chunk of his ear by then. Anyway, as the story goes, after being released, he must have figured what a sweet deal it was at the panda base, and he turned himself back in. Sometime later, he was assigned to PanDiego, to be the mate of the enchanting Bai Yun, who was not getting on with the older panda they had paired her with.
They went on to populate the first great panda dynasty in the US. Their grandson, by way of the effervescent Zhen Zhen, Yun Chuan is now in his grandfather’s seat in PanDiego.
Gao Gao was considered something of a stud muffin by his friends and nannies, as well as a very sweet tempered panda by his caregivers. We were all sorry to see him leave to return to China, but by all reports and pictures, he continued to charm his nannies and was given stellar care.
His last cub in PanDiego was the one and only Wu Self, Xiao Li Wu, or Mr. Wu to his friends and fans. Somewhere along the way, I started drawing him with his ear taped down, as a tribute to his dad, with his half gone ear. To hear Gao Gao tell it, he lost it in a bar fight defending Bai Yun’s honor.
In my as yet unpublished graphic novel, The Pandyland Mysteries: The Case of the Picturesque Panda, Wu loses his ear tape to the dastardly Babette De Panda, who holds it for ransom.
I think you all know things to be grateful for are a little scarce on the ground right now, but there is still much for which to give thanks. I am inordinately thankful that you all are still here. I am thankful for pandas, and the community of people who love them. I am thankful for those who are no longer here, for the friendship and support they gave me when I needed it most. I am grateful for that strange place in my brain that spills these stories out. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that pandas saved me. At a time when optimism disappeared along with most of my income, the pandas arose and said, “Hey look! Over here! We are cute and we have cuppycakes!“
And so here we are.
I hope you are spending the day as you choose, and with whom you choose, and if you’re not, well, there is always third helpings of pie.
Be the Bear,
Bob T the T stands for Thankful,* today, Panda
*Usually it stands for “the”
The newest residents of Panda Canyon have gotten their golden tickets to their new home! We don’t know exactly when they will arrive, but reports are for sometime this summer. Like the Three Chipmunks sang, “Wee can hardly stand the wait…“
The San Diego Panda Dynasty continues!
For explanations about Yun Chuan’s vocal stylings, and reports on Xin Bao’s witticisms, do visit the San Diego Zoo’s write up of the new cubbies!
Be the Bear
Bob T I’m excited! Are you? Panda
You knew it would come to this. Following the scripts of the various debates that we have been bludgeoned with, politicians trading insults…Liars lying about previous lies, BEARS BEHAVING BADLY!!!!! Is this the panda kindergarten? A Beautiful Tail? Looks a little short to me.
“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”
Are Bob and Pinky reaching a new consensus? Could Bob be inspired to concede and get behind Pinky’s candidacy? Stay tuned! anything can happen where pandas are involved.
Meanwhile among real pandas and the people who love them, we have just learned sad news from San Diego Zoo. The rock star, stud muffin wild guy panda with one short ear and extra furry feet, father of five fabulous cubbies here at SDZ, Gao Gao, has been diagnosed with a very bad heart condition. They think he is around 26. Being wild born, they don’t know his exact age. He has been in somewhat compromised health for a few years now and they have been monitoring his heart condition carefully. We don’t know how long he has left, but I can assure you that the veterinary staff at SDZ is doing everything they can do for him.
Gao Gao has an interesting story of how he came to live at the San Diego Zoo. As a two year old, he was found injured and brought to one of the panda research centers to be treated. After he healed, he was released. But finding that being fed and waited upon was far superior to having to fight for territory and scarce resources, he returned to the center and asked to be readmitted. Eventually, he went to live in San Diego with the Beautiful Bai Yun and together they had five cubs, the last of which is Xiao Liwu, known to his friends and fans as Mr. Wu.
A panda fun fact about Gao Gao is that he has one short ear, most likely the result of a fight when he was a wild cub fending for himself. It is the reason my cartoon version of Mr. Wu always has his left ear taped down! It is a tribute to his dad!
I know many people who have not been to a zoo in over 30 years have an antiquated and unfortunate preconception about zoos. yes, there are still some of those horrible zoos with too small cages and depressed animals, but most zoos in North America, Japan, and Europe have taken huge strides in providing comfort and engagement for their animals, and San Diego Zoo is one of the best. Yes, it would be wonderful if panda’s traditional roaming areas were still intact, but the virgin forested areas where they once roamed are reduced to a tiny percentage of what they once were. But the pandas that live in these well staffed and well appointed zoos live the life of Riley (whoever he is) and generally live 10 to 15 years longer than their wild counterparts.
Happy Fathers Day to those who celebrate their relationship with their dads as something wonderful and nurturing. and for those who don’t…well…go have a cuppycake or two and think about someone who loved you.
Be the Bear
Bob T. panda
Editors note: I realize I may seem to be capricious and uncareful with the cute wu self…sending him off with the panda kindergarten in the middle of the night. Perhaps an all-Wu-all-the-time cartoon line up on Mondays and Wednesdays will keep you all from tar-and-feathering me. Maybe?
“Are we there, yet?”
Come back on Wednesday and see what happens next…
Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda