Volunteering in China at the Giant Panda Center project for a week was a wonderful experience on many levels. First and foremost, to have the opportunity to get close to these wonderful animals in a nurturing environment was a rare and wonderful life experience. Secondly, the people that I met during this trip included many like-minded people who are interested in caring for endangered animals and experiencing life to the fullest. The trip was very well organised and the coordinators were friendly and went out of their way to see that we all had a positive experience.
Most of the daily activities at the Panda Center included cleaning out the panda cages. Since the panda is a vegetarian animal, the panda poop was not stinky, so that was a plus! It felt good to clean out their areas so they would have a pristine place to enjoy their day. Doing this was not disagreeable to any of us in the least.
Afterward, we would give the Pandas their breakfast which was such a joy. They eat a special health bread, apples, carrots and their favourite, bamboo shoots! Being able to briefly interact with the animals and provide them these treats was so wonderful. I could have watched them for hours. Afterward, we would give the Pandas their breakfast which was such a joy. They eat a special health bread, apples, carrots and their favourite, bamboo shoots! Being able to briefly interact with the animals and provide them these treats was so wonderful. I could have watched them for hours.
The park itself was very pretty and nice to walk around. Afterwards we would return to our hotel for a nice lunch and then back to the park for afternoon feedings. The days flew by and, as each day passed, I became more and more attached to the wonderful pandas. In particular, there was one panda named Whugong who touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes when my volunteer time came to an end.
There was a lot to do when we were not busy with volunteer tasks. We went to an ancient city, toured a beautiful area nearby called the Happiness Bridge and hiked to a fabulous monastery also located nearby.
The volunteer centre had a fabulous selection of panda videos and documentaries. In the evenings, the coordinator offered many different games and projects including learning mahjong, making dumplings, and basic Chinese language skills. Our coordinator was fantastic! I would highly recommend this experience to people of all ages and fitness levels. Pandas are even more wonderful than you can imagine. Find out for yourself!
