After takeoff, our priority was to make sure the pandas were comfortable. And THAT, I swiftly learned, means bringing them water and plenty of bamboo. As Kristi Newland, a mammal expert from the Memphis Zoo, put it, "if they want bamboo every five minutes, we'll give them bamboo every five minutes." Now, it seemed like we were up there feeding them every four minutes, but I'm sure that the extra-vigilant care can be chalked up to nerves on the part of the Memphis Zoo team and the Chinese specialists who had accompanied them. After all, Ya Ya and Le Le were like their babies.
More importantly, if they were eating, it was a good sign that the pandas were not stressed and were enjoying the ride. And eating they were. More than 200 pounds (91 kilograms) of chilled, wet bamboo were in supply to cater to any hunger pangs.
Whales, Elephants, Tigers, Even Asparagus Seeds
Besides, I didn't mind. Feeding the pandas meant getting me out of my seat and a chance to stretch. You see, when I said the plane was cavernous, I wasn't kidding. We weren't wedged between packages to Grandma and Aunt Muriel. It was just us... and the pandas. And space. A handful of passenger seats were bolted down at the back of the plane, while the pandas, in their mansions, were all the way at the front end. And in between lay yards and yards of floor covered in a sea of ball bearings.
The unusual floor decor revealed the plane's day job. The ballbearings make for transporting crates inside the plane easy. They just roll on top of them. Usually, the plane's packed with all kinds of things. According to Vince Buscarino, our flight attendant/loadmaster, that means "whatever will fit through the door." In the past, that has included whales, elephants, tigers, even asparagus seeds.
But nothing seems to hold a candle to pandas. Even for the veteran plane crew, familiar with carrying special cargo, this was different. They confessed as much. And the fact that they were so keen on snapping photos of their superstar passengers kind of gave them away.
We continued our, by now, set routine, of pouring bottled spring water down a funnel, through the crates to the pandas; sprinkling their bamboo with water. The keepers would press what seemed like a forest of leafy bamboo through a keyhole-sized opening in the crate. And voila, like a magic act, the forest disappeared through the hole.
Final Motorcade
It was then my turn. I held an unruly bush of bamboo, aimed it at the peephole, and there, on the other end, I felt an expert tug. Ya Ya knew exactly how this worked. Looking through the glass, I could then enjoy watching her devour her umpteenth meal as if it were the first time she'd eaten in a year. Her paws epitomized dexterity. The way she clasped the stalks, her slouchy but upright posture, even her incessant munching were all banal facts of her life that instantly became bewitching to me. They were innocent, unstudied, and affectionate.
The pandas responded to the familiar voices of the Chinese researchers, their faces searching the glass, their masterful sense of scent leading the way. Images to relish. And I was reminded that I was not the only one under the pandas' spell. Fluttering above the crates, along the wall, were rows of crayon-colored panda pictures, drawn by children in Memphis, asking wonderful, existential questions like "where do you get pandas?" and blessing the journey with good wishes.
Before I knew it, our 16-hour adventure had evaporated into the Memphis sun. We had landed. More to the point, the pandas had landed. Ya Ya and Le Le, still in their crates, were unloaded off the plane to roaring cheers, even an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, Ya Ya"—it had all the brash energy of the Superbowl.
As our final motorcade (who would have ever believed I was in a panda motorcade twice in one day) wound through the streets of Memphis, people stood on the sidewalks, all bearing waves and a genuine welcome. It was touching.
Ya Ya and Le Le probably have no idea how far they've come...but I'll always remember.
This story airs tonight on National Geographic Today: Planning a trip halfway around the world takes careful planning, especially when the travelers are two giant pandas! National Geographic Today takes you behind the scenes as Le Le and Ya Ya get ready to head from China to their new home at the Memphis Zoo. Get an inside look at what logistics, veterinary care, and potential complications must be tended to when undertaking such an incredible feat. And, talk about precious cargo! Join National geographic Today correspondent Patty Kim and her crew as they climb aboard a FedEx plane with two 150-pound (70-kilogram) giant pandas for an exclusive look at how these beautiful creatures traveled to their new home at the Memphis Zoo—one that bears a striking resemblance to their Chinese habitat. With the only television crew to travel with these giant creatures, National Geographic Today brings you exceptional coverage of this amazing journey.
National Geographic Today, 7 p.m. ET/PT in the United States, is a daily news journal available only on the National Geographic Channel. Click here to learn more about it.
Got a high-speed connection? Watch National Geographic Today in streaming video.
Additional Nationalgeographic.com Resources on Pandas:
Creature Feature—Pandas (Fun Facts, Video, Audio, Map, Postcards): Go>>
Panda Chow (Online Game): Go>>
NG Book: The Little Panda (Windows on Literacy): Go>>
Animals & Nature Guide: Go>>
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