China’s first panda college starts recruiting students

The college was established in September last year by the university and the province’s Forestry and Grassland Bureau. It will be based in the university’s College of Life Sciences.

Liao Wenbo, dean of the College of Life Sciences, told China Daily that the Panda College will train a cohort of undergraduate and postgraduate students to work in the Giant Panda National Park and nature reserves.

Spanning 27,134 sq.km in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, the park is home to 72% of China’s wild pandas. 

A teacher at the college, Wei Wei, stated that students have the chance to pursue internships and gain practical experience during their studies, engaging in activities related to giant panda protection, breeding, and disease prevention and control, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Many people have praised the college for providing a unique opportunity to interact with giant pandas. Some graduates have also expressed their interest in returning to the college to pursue this new major.

The college is expected to play a significant role in protecting the ecological environment, restoring animal habitats, constructing a panda national park, promoting panda population growth, facilitating their reintroduction into the wild, as well as conducting research.

The college has signed cooperation agreements with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and several national nature reserves.