Who discovered the first panda bear?

_Elsa_

“My mother told me that this guy named Armand David, first discovered panda bears back in 1862,” Pan-Pan says.

‘In 1862 the French priest, zoologist and botanist Armand David was posted to China to identify and collect unknown plant and animal species for the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. When he ventured out to Sichuan, he was in for a massive surprise.

While scouting Dengchigou Village in Baoxing County on March 11, 1869, David stumbled across the house of a villager named Li Pinshan. Xinhua visited Li's grandson, Li Wantao, who explained what happened on that historic day 150 years ago.

Li told us that when David came across his grandfather's home, he saw a black and white animal skin and thought it was "very peculiar." Driven by his curiosity to find out where this strange fur had come from, David hired hunters to scout the mountains of Baoxing and bring him the animal in the flesh.

On April 1, 1869, three weeks after finding his initial clue, David finally laid his eyes on a live "black and white bear." A moment believed to have marked the first time a Westerner encountered a panda. You can read the rest of this story here. 

Very interesting! Suddenly this idea pops into Tiffi’s head.

“What about we ask Genie Jellybeanie for help,” Tiffi says. He is a Genie and can grant wishes. Maybe he can help us. Let’s all go find him.

Let’s continue - Tiffi asks Genie Jellybeanie for help

Start at the beginning - The story of Pan-Pan and Ling-Ling