The Playful Panda by Amelia Cobb

Author:Amelia Cobb [Amelia Cobb]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780857632173
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Published: 2013-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Zoe fetched a fluffy blanket as a very wet Mei Mei padded over. She scooped the panda up and rubbed her fur gently with the blanket. “There, you’re nice and dry,” she soothed, making sure she spoke too quietly for Stephanie to hear. “Chi Chi was just playing.”

Stephanie sighed. “It’s such a shame. Both cubs seem to love their new home. Chi Chi adores the wooden platforms and the ramps, and even Mei Mei’s starting to settle in. But if they don’t make friends soon...” She hesitated.

“Then what will happen?” Zoe asked at once.

“We’ll have to split them up,” Stephanie explained. “While they’re little they can’t do any harm, but when they’re fully grown they might hurt each other.”

“But we’d be able to keep them both at the zoo, wouldn’t we?” Zoe asked anxiously. “One could stay here and the other could go in a different enclosure.”

Stephanie shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid not, sweetheart. We don’t have any spare enclosures big enough for an adult panda. They need lots of space, you see. One sister would probably have to go to another zoo.”

Zoe’s heart sank. It was horrible to imagine the sisters not liking each other, and it was even worse to think about them being separated. What if one of the twins was sent back to China? That was thousands of miles away. They would never see each other again.

Suddenly Zoe remembered something. Su Lin. Her old friend had loved telling stories about her little sister and all the fun they’d had together. Su Lin and Bai Yun had been separated when they were still very young. But Su Lin had never stopped missing Bai Yun, even years later. Zoe took a deep, determined breath. She was not going to let that happen to Chi Chi and Mei Mei. She had to make them see how lucky they were to have each other.

Stephanie gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Zoe. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said. “Listen, cheer up. It’s breakfast time and we’re going to try giving the cubs some solid food today.”

She had brought a small plastic box with her that morning, and took the lid off. It was full of apple and bamboo, sliced up into tiny chunks. “It might seem silly to bring bamboo when there’s so much growing around us,” she said. “But until the babies’ teeth grow stronger, it’s very hard for them to bite into. I cut up the softest, freshest piece I could find, to make it easier for them.”

She gave the box a little shake. Chi Chi’s black nose twitched and she scampered towards them, excited by the smell of the juicy bamboo. Mei Mei looked curious too, and followed cautiously.

Stephanie glanced down at her watch. “Oh dear. I’ve just remembered – I’m supposed to be over at Alex’s enclosure in five minutes. He hasn’t had his breakfast bananas yet, and you know how grumpy the old gorilla gets when he’s hungry!”

“I can feed the pandas!” Zoe offered quickly, winking at Meep.

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