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China - Giant Panda Project

Activities : Conservation / Animals
Company :
Country : China

Info

The Giant Panda is one of the most delightful and captivating of animals, yet one of the most endangered species in the world. The best scientific estimates place the total number of all pandas at only 1590, most of them are living in China.

Located just 10km (six miles) away from downtown Chengdu, the Panda Breeding Research Centre has been created and imitates the pandas' natural habitat so that they can have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. The centre also cares for other rare and endangered wild animals. Additionally, there is a Giant Panda Museum together with research laboratories and a training centre. A great number of plants and as many as ten thousand clumps of bamboos and bushes have been cultivated to provide for the giant pandas' diet and habitat.

Volunteers are required for the following positions (each requires a one-day training session):

Panda keeper's assistant

You will be allocated to a keeper and tasks will include:

* Cleaning the Giant Panda's sleeping quarters and the garden
* Preparing food, such as: carrots, apples, panda bread and biscuits.
* Carrying bamboo.
* You may be asked to help the scientists to collect behavioral data.
* You may be asked to help the vet with medical care.

Clerk's assistant

* Type up documents.
* Help translate web pages and some daily documents.
* Help the staff design and develop the website.

Interpreter's assistant

* Help the interpreter with Giant Panda research such as: breeding, hand-rearing, husbandry, enrichment and so on.
* Help in co-operation people involved in similar work in the USA, Japan, Austria, Thailand, etc.
* Introduce visitors to all the Giant Pandas, their different habits, behaviours, experiences.