A little under a month ago I put up a donations button and invited fellow Warcraft bloggers to throw in a buck or five with the aim of pooling enough to be able to adopt a Red Panda from my local zoo, Marwell Wildlife. The Mists of Pandaria expansion looms on the horizon, and the female character models of the new Pandaren playable race closely resemble them. I thought it would be a nice gesture and get us all in the mood, and be able to spread some charity cheer.
I collected the donations received so far, and was able to complete the adoption process with Marwell after a fortnight, with the adoption pack arriving last week. So, I went to the zoo, got sunburned and saw TERRIFYING and ENDANGERED beasts.
A very big thank you from myself (and on behalf of Marwell) for all those who donated. Marwell is a fantastic place, my crummy iPhone photos really don't do it any justice, but here they are. You can find out more at: pandas.theshatar.eu.
I collected the donations received so far, and was able to complete the adoption process with Marwell after a fortnight, with the adoption pack arriving last week. So, I went to the zoo, got sunburned and saw TERRIFYING and ENDANGERED beasts.
A very big thank you from myself (and on behalf of Marwell) for all those who donated. Marwell is a fantastic place, my crummy iPhone photos really don't do it any justice, but here they are. You can find out more at: pandas.theshatar.eu.
Marwell House. Apparently there's tarantulas inside, so this was as close as I went.
A piranha. Look at that stare It'll strip you to the bone, and not in a good way.
Halaa, is it me you're looking for? Some talbuks! Or antelopes, or something.
No shoes, no shirt, and they still get service. Penguins square-up for a dance-off.
KANGA-BLOODY-ROOS, SHEILA! Bigger than they look, but these were young'uns.
Err, dunno. Cow? Buffalo? Stegosaurus? Probably tasty.
MASSIVE BLACK SWAN. Was expecting scary bad ass, but it was shy and sassy.
Ring-tailed lemur. Seriously the cutest things there. They all cuddle each other, aww.
8===D
Tongue so long it can lick its own ass. Was ill. I can think of one possible reason.
AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE ZULIAN TIGER MOUNT. EATING SOMETHING.
i) Fucking giraffes! Waited ages for them to come inside and eat. They're rad/huge.
ii) Meerkats. I fed these some bugs. Pretty crap at car insurance, as it happens.
iii) Some baby deer goat talbuk antelope thing. Had a cute stripey bottom though.
...and THIS is a red panda. Cute, right? Alas, in the midday sun when I visited they were about 15 foot up a tree and no photo I took looked anything more than a red jumper slumped over a branch, so I bought and scanned this photo from the gift shop.
There we have it, thank you to everyone who donated. We've adopted a red panda! I'll visit again in a month or two later in the day and try and get better photos of everything. We'll be credited on the plaque next to the enclosure too, but they hadn't printed an updated one at the time.
I'll continue to accept donations until MoP's launch and any funds will be used solely on donations to Marwell. Questions and queries can be directed to the donations page on this blog (pandas.theshatar.eu), in the comments, or you can catch me via e-mail or real ID (European, US and Oceanic servers): rioriel@theshatar.eu. Rio x
I'll continue to accept donations until MoP's launch and any funds will be used solely on donations to Marwell. Questions and queries can be directed to the donations page on this blog (pandas.theshatar.eu), in the comments, or you can catch me via e-mail or real ID (European, US and Oceanic servers): rioriel@theshatar.eu. Rio x
