Everyone these days loves adorable pandas, and many are jumping at the opportunity to work with pandas in China. The experience of volunteering and living in China is both challenging and rewarding, and given that China offers a fascinating cultural experience like no other, you’re bound to impress future employers (resume = boosted!). Between feasts of Peking duck and bowls of Lanzhou noodles, you’ll get your hands dirty making a real difference in important conservation efforts in Asia. This is the kind of panda-monium we can get behind!
You’ll never tire of these sights when you’re a panda volunteer in China!
Choosing to volunteer abroad with pandas just makes sense. There is a real significance to cuddling, so get ready. There are many exotic options to volunteer abroad with pandas in China, such as in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Xi’an, and Beijing, as well as one special place where you can volunteer with baby pandas: Chengdu. As a panda volunteer in China, you can experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity caring for cubs and feeding adults at a beautiful rehabilitation and breeding center.
Pandas need help
Pandas are amongst the most beloved animals on the planet, but they also need our protection. China volunteer panda programs offer volunteers an opportunity to make a difference protecting this vulnerable species. Contributing to the regrowth of panda populations is a way to live with the locals and immerse in the Chinese culture. Baby pandas weigh just 100 grams at birth and then develop to 60 pounds during their second year, well on their way to becoming fully grown (and massive) at 350 pounds.
Forest fragmentation, poaching, and habitat destruction contribute to isolating panda populations. There are less than 1600 pandas left in the wild, so panda volunteer programs ensure the species’ survival for the future. Feel good knowing you’ve done your part to preserve the “national treasure of China.”
If the blatant need isn’t enough, here are a few more reasons to help you care for pandas abroad ASAP.
There’s a lot of work to be done when you join a panda volunteer program.
Why volunteer abroad with pandas in China?
1. It’s a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with pandas.
Volunteer with baby pandas in the nurturing environment of Sichuan Chengdu. Upon arrival you will be debriefed on the work, which will include feeding the pandas and assistance with day-to-day maintenance taking care of cubs and cleaning the panda enclosures. Giant Pandas can be fierce and strong, so you will not be able to handle them alone; however, it is possible to hold a baby panda. You will be instructed on aspects of panda life, assist the staff with feeding, running the park, preparing pandas’ food, and helping the sanctuary scientists to collect valuable data about panda behavior.
- A program to keep your eye on this year: Giant Panda Center in China
- When? Year-round from two weeks to eight weeks
- Why? With this program, you’ll be collecting behavioral data, helping with research and veterinary projects, and attending free Chinese classes every day.
2. Caring for endangered animals is experiencing life to the fullest.
You will meet like-minded volunteers who, like you, are interested in caring for endangered animals, experiencing life to the fullest, helping the wild populations in China, and assisting with medical examinations and breeding efforts. Panda conservation in China is a brilliant way to push your comfort zone and live out your dreams. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s almost always cute. You’ll get a great work out preparing the bamboo for the pandas, after you chop and carry it, you can assist feeding the pandas, then take a break and watch the cubs in panda kindergarten. We won’t blame you if you fall deeply in love with these sweet, fluffy bundles of happiness! This ^^ is living.
- A program to keep your eye on this year: Look After and Feed Rare and Endangered Pandas in China
- When? Year-round from 1-2 weeks
- Why? This program is for the active and fit! Carry and chop bamboo for the pandas in all weather conditions and in spare time hike to a waterfall with your fellow volunteers.
3. Panda poop isn’t stinky.
You might have to clean out panda cages and remove bamboo leaves and other garbage from the facility, but good news—their shit don’t stink! (but actually!). This is because the panda is a vegetarian animal, so all you’re seeing (and smelling) is digested bamboo. Pandas eat carrots, apples, and bamboo shoots (their favorite), plus a special health bread called “panda cake.” Feeding them breakfast is an absolute joy—and not only because they eat out of your hands.
- A program to keep your eye on this year: Panda Conservation and Wild China
- When? Year-round from 2-4 weeks
- Why? With Panda Conservation and Wild China, you will care for giant pandas along with researchers and handlers. You will ultimately gain knowledge about conservation through panda behavior observations.
4. There’s a lot to do when you’re not at the volunteer site.
Volunteer with baby pandas to experience endless giggles!
In between your panda volunteer in China work, make the most of your new surroundings with some good old-fashioned exploration. Tour your local city’s major sites, hike to a fantastic mountain monastery, or visit an ancient city. Have a competitive streak? Try out local games like mahjong or see if your Chinese calligraphy outshines the rest. Practice dumpling making or your basic Mandarin skills with your non-furry pengyou. “Immerse yourself in Chinese culture, make tons of new friends, and save a panda!”
What’s a trip to China without climbing the Great Wall or attempting to count all of the Terracotta Warriors? Your eyes will feast on the epic futuristic architecture found in its most cosmopolitan corners. Trust us—the pandas are enough to make your experience abroad great, but the rest of China has a lot to deliver, too!
- A program to keep your eye on this year: TRU Experience Travel: Panda Reserve Volunteer in Chengdu
- When? Year round for 1-2 weeks
- Why? At the end of this program, you will receive a certificate of participation. You will leave knowing that you have made a lasting impact, created a bond with the locals, and made memories that will last forever.
5. Programs are easy to arrange.
When you volunteer abroad with pandas, the age limit is very flexible. They are suitable for families who bring younger children, and for adults aged 18-50 and beyond. All volunteers who work with pandas in China will need a visa to enter China, and will want to apply for the program 1-2 months in advance to allow time for visa processing. If you would like more information about volunteering abroad in China, check out some pre-departure advice. Or if you are still undecided about heading to China to cuddle these furry creatures and your time is limited, get some advice from 8 Things to Know Before One Week Volunteer Abroad.
- A program to keep your eye on this year: China - Giant Panda Center
- When? Year-round from 1-2 weeks to 2-4 weeks
- Why? Volunteer in China’s largest sanctuary for giant pandas. Experience Chinese culture through cultural immersion activities and explore Chengdu for two days.
6. Your contribution is crucial to not only panda conservation, but the overall well-being of Chinese locals, too.
Work with pandas in China and get to know their natural habitats.
Pandas are one of the most beloved animals on the planet and it is unfortunate that they need our protection. Panda volunteer programs in China offer you the chance to make a difference. You’ll feel a sense of pride in protecting a vulnerable species and in the regrowth of their populations.
Pandas play a crucial role in the development of China’s bamboo forests by spreading seeds that help the vegetation grow. These panda habitats—the bamboo forest—are likewise essential to the livelihood of local communities, who use the plant for food and fuel. Cooking and heating wouldn’t be possible without this grass, so your efforts are doubly helpful to human and animal alike. As you spend part of your day in the panda volunteer program, you’re contributing to safeguarding the broader environment that so many people depend on!
What else can I do to help save pandas?
The peaceful Giant Panda faces many threats. Their habitat is in the forests and mountainous regions in southwest China, but populations have dwindled due to poaching. This is where you come in! Be a part of the conservation efforts that are being made in the field in national parks and by the captive breeding program that releases pandas into the wild to help maintain and restore their population. The research being done at The Giant Panda Center Project is in panda behavior. They are committed to breed pandas, and then successfully release them into the wild.
These bamboo-eating members of the bear family living outside of more than 50 Chinese national parks are unprotected and vulnerable to deforestation and humanity. That is why the volunteer work you do at the Giant Panda Center is vital to the panda’s survival! Fabulous, magical, and brilliant—these are all words that have been used by those who volunteer abroad with pandas in China to describe their experiences. Check out the Animal Welfare Volunteer Programs in Chengdu and you will find many, including one to Look After and Feed Rare and Endangered Pandas in China.
You’re ready to volunteer abroad with pandas in China!
Put that bamboo down and get to work!
You’re ready for adventure and to volunteer abroad with pandas in China! You may want to check out other volunteer opportunities in China like Tiger Leaping Gorge: Your Next China Adventure. You can find information about funding your travels to work with pandas in China and learn how to Fund a Trip Abroad. For more information The Giant Panda Center Project is a good place to start! And for more information on China please check out our Chinese Embassy Directory.
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