Saturday Cute: Panda Time

It's been a long time since we've visited with our black-and-white (and a little dirty brown) friends, the panda. National Geographic's cover story this month is Panda, Inc., the million dollar industry behind having pandas on U.S. soil. It focuses mostly on Tai Shan, the adorable, nearly year old scamp in DC, and has many cute pictures and video. Of course, Gothamist hopes that panda leasing prices come down (China charges $2 million now), as we dream that a pair can come and breed in NYC.

And there may be more pandas than previously thought in the Wanglang Nature Reserve in China. Scientists having been examining panda droppings and "developing genetic profiles," showing different panda DNA samples. Ooh - CSI: Wanglang Nature Reserve? Or will poo come into more forensics plotlines on TV?

Revel in the cute by checking out the Flickr tag "panda."

Photograph from the AP