The Olympic Panda Hall in Beijing Zoo has opened its Panda Training Center to visitors. The pandas in the center have been trained to follow simple commands.

Photo taken on March 30, 2009 shows two-year old Mengmeng, the youngest baby panda in Beijing Zoo, follows her trainer's instructions, such as "turn left, turn right, sit down, hold your hands out". [Beijing Times]

Mengmeng follows her trainer's instructions, such as "turn left, turn right, sit down, hold your hands out".

She has even been trained to hold out her hand to allow a doctor to take a blood sample. "The pandas give blood samples quite happily, without any anesthetic." Li Yanqing, the panda curator of Beijing Zoo said.

Two-year old Mengmeng, the youngest baby panda in Beijing Zoo, has been in the training program for eight months.

The Training Center is open to public for half an hour every morning.

"Pandas are really cute. I was very lucky to be able to watch the training session. It shows that human beings and animals are living together harmoniously", a visitor said.

Beijing Zoo is currently home to seven pandas. All of them have attended training sessions. In two months time, several pandas from the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan Province will be transferred to the zoo, and will also take part in the training program.

(China.org.cn by Dong Qingpei April 1, 2009)