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consisted of several persons, including William Sheldon and Sage's wife, Anne Tilney Sage. This marked the first time a woman from outside the Yunnan and Sichuan mountains had participated in hunting the giant panda.
On December 8, 1934, the expedition achieved its objective. Sage recorded in his journal that, after days of tracking with local guides and dogs in the mountains, he and William Sheldon felled a giant panda.
We walked along the ridge for about two hours and then stopped to rest a while on a sunny slope. At this point, the pursuit seemed vain and decidedly discouraging. The dogs showed not the slightest interest. Suddenly, I heard the deep, angry growl of a large animal, and I began to get really excited. And, then as if in a dream I saw a giant panda coming through the bamboos about sixty yards away from me. He was heading straight up the ravine with the dogs at his heels. I fired, but missed..... He's only twenty feet away, now fifteen, he's coming straight at me, I jammed (a cartridge) into the gun and fired. ... He was less than ten feet from me! At the same moment Bill shot from above, and the animal, struck simultaneously by both our bullets, rolled over and over down the slope and came to stop against a tree fifty yards below.
We have killed a giant panda.
A baby panda captured
The first live giant panda exported from China was captured in Sichuan in 1936 by an American woman, Ruth Harkness. William Harkness had died in Shanghai early in the year while embarking on a giant panda search. Defying all opposition - sexist and otherwise - his widow Ruth took on the task and led the expedition into the mountains of Sichuan. In November, she succeeded in capturing a three-pound female baby panda, "no more than ten days old",
Resultant excitement was considerable. The baby panda, subsequently named Su Lin, was flown from Chengdu to Shanghai by air. Customs
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consisted of several persons, including William Sheldon and Sage's wife. Anne Tilney Sage. This marked the first time a woman from outside the Yunnan and Sichuan mountains had participated in hunting the giant panda.
On December 8, 1934, the expedition achieved its objective. Sage recorded in his journal that, after days of tracking with local guides and dogs in the mountains, he and William Sheldon felled a giant panda.
г
1
We walked along the ridge for about two hours and then stopped to rest a while on a sunny slope. At this point, the pursuit seemed vain and decidedly discouraging. The dogs showed not the slightest interest. Suddenly, I heard the deep, angry growl of a large animal, and I began to get really excited. And, then as if in a dream I saw a giant panda coming through the bamboos about sixty yards. away from me. He was heading straight up the ravine with the dogs at his heels. I fired, but missed..... He's only twenty feet away, now fifteen, he's coming straight at me, I jammed (a cartridge) into the gun and fired. ... He was less than ten feet from me! At the same moment Bill shot from above, and the animal, struck simultaneously by both our bullets, rolled over and over down the slope and came to stop against a tree fifty yards below.
·
I
We have killed a giant panda.
A baby panda captured
―
—
The first live giant panda exported from China was captured in Sichuan in 1936 by an American woman, Ruth Harkness. William Harkness had died in Shanghai carly in the year while embarking on a giant panda search. Defying all opposition - sexist and otherwise his widow Ruth took on the task and led the expedition into the mountains of Sichuan. In November, she succeeded in capturing a three-pound female baby panda, **no more than ten days old",
Resultant excitement was considerable. The baby panda, subsequently named Sulin, was flown from Chengdu to Shanghai by air. Customs
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