05/09/2010

Panda Gap Year Conservation Projects in China

Volunteer with pandas on a gap year in China! The plight of the Giant Panda has become an internationally recognized symbol of the importance of conservation. The Chinese government has set up a number of research projects, reserves and parks dedicated to preserving the numbers of these very shy creatures.

Panda projects are located throughout China, one large reserve is in Sichuan Province which is in need of gap year volunteers. The reserve is dedicated to preserving the Giant Panda and has a very successful breeding programme. Based in Chengdu there is a Panda Reserve in the east of Mt. Qionglai, and a 3-hour drive from Chengdu, it is a natural reserve of 200,000 hectares. A WWF founded sanctuary, this is an animal lover's dream.

The park was created in 1963. This Panda Reserve is the earliest, largest and best-known panda reserve in China. It was placed on UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Network in 1980. Gap year volunteers are needed to play a part in safeguarding the future of these amazing animals. 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 about 1600. Their survival is Paramount. Saving this species is truly a race against time.

Gap year volunteer work with pandas can involve dealing with the day-to-day aspects of maintaining the panda enclosures and reserves, research or veterinary based work and this will make up most of your work day.

Panda Gap Year Volunteer Duties:

- Cleaning the panda enclosure
- Preparing food for the pandas, such as carrots, apples, panda bread and nutritional biscuits
- Feeding pandas
- Observing and getting to understand the pandas
- Carrying lots and lots of bamboo

If you are thinking about taking a gap year in Asia and would like to volunteer with pandas in China, you will have the opportunity to explore more of this vast country, from the Tiger Leaping Gorge, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. Taking a China gap year tour is a great way to travel and meet other people, you might even want to consider visiting Tibet!

There are also a wide range of gap year internships in Beijing and China gap year jobs. You might want to consider taking a TEFL course then teach English in China.

Browse China gap year opportunities.

China - Giant Panda Conservation