First day of work with pandas

I woke up at five and checked my emails, seeing one from home with an attachment I opened it, it was my family singing 'Happy Birthday', I tried to make it stop as Kate another volunteer was still asleep but I couldn't! "Thats really lovely" a sleepy voice said "Happy Birthday" and she rolled over and went back to sleep.
I got up at six, opened my cards that had been secretly put in my case, had coffee and biscuits for breakfast and waited till eight when I would finally start work.
First I had to find a pair of wellies in my size, I was then given a blue work coat and a pair of gloves.

Volunteers Wellies

Xing Xing was called in and locked into one side of the cage while I went out through the tunnel into the outside enclosure and collected the old bamboo.  I then collected the poo in a basket and mopped the inside of the enclosure.  The bamboo and poo were taken in a wheelbarrow and put on separate piles.

Bamboo pile ready for burning

panda poo 

At ten o'clock it was back to feed Xing Xing, she would stand at the cage waiting while her milk was mixed up. I loved watching her drink her milk, she sucked it up and then would look up and milk would be all around her mouth.  I gave her apple on a stick, making her stand up and sit down before giving her the apple, this exercises the panda and also helps with training for vets checks. She would sit and hold the apple in her paw and munch away at it.
Before lunch I had a walk around the other animals and today I could see the mountains much clearer as the sun was out.

Qin Ling Mountains (pronounced ching ling)

Lunch today was very good, had some pickled cucumber in garlic and sesame oil, sweet and sour cabbage and vegetarian duck.
I returned to remove the mornings bamboo and give fresh supplies in the afternoon.

I then dashed around to the outside to watch her eat the bamboo I had put in .  A great first day working with the pandas and a lovely way to spend my birthday.