Related News
The joys of weighing pandas' excrement
Source: Xinhua |
September 27, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWELVE candidates have made it into the final round for one of the world's most unusual jobs - panda keeper at a research base in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The finalists, from 11 countries, were chosen from about 62,000 applicants by wildlife conservation experts and after an online poll. They started a week's training at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding last Friday.
Their job includes cleaning and sterilizing panda enclosures, feeding the bears, and even weighing their excrement.
The finalists, all animal lovers aged from 20 to over 40, were amazed to find that five cubs can produce 16 kilograms of excrement a night.
"Quantity, color and form of the excrement are important indicators of panda health," said Wang Jishan, the panda expert in charge of selecting the eventual winners.
David Algranti, a candidate from France, enjoyed preparing meals for the pandas, washing fresh bamboo and cutting a huge pile of apples, each into six slices.
Algranti and his fellow finalists watched as pandas tucked into their favorite food. "They are so cute. I'd really love to learn more about pandas," said Annelijin Steenbruggen, a journalist and photographer from the Netherlands.
Steenbruggen said on her blog she was "in love with animals and the beauty of nature," which was why she was competing for a chance to become a "pambassador."
During their week, the finalists will learn about panda care in Chengdu and at a wild training base for pandas in Dujiangyan City. The 10 foreign candidates will also learn some basic Chinese.
Six will be eliminated during the week and those remaining will be named "pambassadors" later this week.
Their final test will include questions and answers, building a panda ladder - the favorite outdoor activity for captive pandas - and a presentation to show the candidates' personalities.
The six will spend a month working as panda keepers in Chengdu and blog about their experiences at pandahome.com in an effort to raise awareness of the endangered animals' plight. They will also have the opportunity to witness the birth of panda cubs.
"Project Panda" was launched by the Chengdu research base in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Last Friday, the finalists visited the WWF's Chengdu office to study panda evolution, habitat changes and what needs to be done to save the rare species from extinction.
Giant pandas populated China's northern, central and southern regions up to 1 million years ago, but human activities, including poaching, and climate change have seriously reduced their numbers and habitat.
"By the mid 20th Century, pandas were found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Today, only about 1,600 still live in the wild," said WWF senior project officer Xu Qiang.
About 310 pandas have been bred in captivity in zoos worldwide.
The finalists, from 11 countries, were chosen from about 62,000 applicants by wildlife conservation experts and after an online poll. They started a week's training at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding last Friday.
Their job includes cleaning and sterilizing panda enclosures, feeding the bears, and even weighing their excrement.
The finalists, all animal lovers aged from 20 to over 40, were amazed to find that five cubs can produce 16 kilograms of excrement a night.
"Quantity, color and form of the excrement are important indicators of panda health," said Wang Jishan, the panda expert in charge of selecting the eventual winners.
David Algranti, a candidate from France, enjoyed preparing meals for the pandas, washing fresh bamboo and cutting a huge pile of apples, each into six slices.
Algranti and his fellow finalists watched as pandas tucked into their favorite food. "They are so cute. I'd really love to learn more about pandas," said Annelijin Steenbruggen, a journalist and photographer from the Netherlands.
Steenbruggen said on her blog she was "in love with animals and the beauty of nature," which was why she was competing for a chance to become a "pambassador."
During their week, the finalists will learn about panda care in Chengdu and at a wild training base for pandas in Dujiangyan City. The 10 foreign candidates will also learn some basic Chinese.
Six will be eliminated during the week and those remaining will be named "pambassadors" later this week.
Their final test will include questions and answers, building a panda ladder - the favorite outdoor activity for captive pandas - and a presentation to show the candidates' personalities.
The six will spend a month working as panda keepers in Chengdu and blog about their experiences at pandahome.com in an effort to raise awareness of the endangered animals' plight. They will also have the opportunity to witness the birth of panda cubs.
"Project Panda" was launched by the Chengdu research base in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Last Friday, the finalists visited the WWF's Chengdu office to study panda evolution, habitat changes and what needs to be done to save the rare species from extinction.
Giant pandas populated China's northern, central and southern regions up to 1 million years ago, but human activities, including poaching, and climate change have seriously reduced their numbers and habitat.
"By the mid 20th Century, pandas were found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Today, only about 1,600 still live in the wild," said WWF senior project officer Xu Qiang.
About 310 pandas have been bred in captivity in zoos worldwide.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
