Working with panda bears
N 30°04'12.9'' E 102°59'19.7''
Date:
22.03.2016
Day: 268
Country:
China
Province:
Sichuan
Location:
Panta bear breeding station
Bifeng Valley
Latitude N:
30°04’12.9”
Longitude E:
102°59’19.7”
Total kilometers:
15,974 km
Maximum height:
1.150 m
Total altitude meters:
26.564 m
Sunrise:
07:10 a.m.
Sunset:
7:20 pm
Temperature day max:
16°C
Temperature day min:
9°C
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
Because of the constant rain, it is impossible to continue. So we use the rainy days to type our notes into the laptop, read and rest. In the morning, we always go into the unheated, uncomfortable dining room, which is more reminiscent of a sober, clinker-built cold store. “Good morning!”, greet travelers from England, Sweden, Norway, Australia and Germany, who are delighted to be working as volunteers at the Panda Base. “It’s going to be another wet day for you,” I say, because the young people spend the whole day outside cleaning the pandas’ enclosures and feeding them bamboo leaves and stalks twice a day. “No problem,” says the young Englishwoman Emily, her whole body shivering with cold. None of the people here expected it to be so cold at this time of year, as they are all very poorly equipped. “You need to dress warmer, otherwise you’ll catch pneumonia,” I say to Selma from Sweden, who is coughing incessantly. “The cough is going away again. Whenever we come into our cold room, I jump into bed and turn on the electric blanket until the flesh almost falls off my bones from the heat. My body can recover well during this time,” she replies with a laugh. During our conversations, we learn that each of them could receive up to € 731 incl. VAT. paid for accommodation, food and travel costs to Chengdu for a week’s stay at the breeding station to get close to the pandas as a volunteer. The volunteers love pandas and many are fulfilling a dream with this visit up here in the rainy mountains of China. When they come home from work at lunchtime or in the evening, they talk excitedly about their experiences. “Ling Bing is the best. He’s always very hungry and eats like there’s no tomorrow.” “Oh, my lady is currently on a diet. Although we’ve reduced her food, she’s still putting on weight. I have no idea how she does it. I think she’s like me,” says Australian Jenny. “We’re not allowed to stroke them, but when none of the official keepers are looking, I let them run my hand through their shaggy fur,” says Sophie from England. “Why aren’t you allowed to stroke the pandas? Are they dangerous?” I ask. “But yes. They are bears. At 150 cm tall, a male can easily weigh 160 kg. If he gets angry because he gets his food too late, it’s not advisable to be near him.” “I thought every tourist can have their photo taken arm in arm with a panda if they pay 1,000 yuan (136 euros) for it?” I reply. “Those days are over. They banned that. The reason was a tourist who walked too fast towards a panda. It was startled and slashed her forearm with its claws. The arm became infected and had to be amputated,” says Jenny. “Oh, that’s terrible. I didn’t think pandas could be so aggressive. I thought they were tame due to their constant proximity to humans.” “They’re not aggressive, but they are bears. You have to behave properly and accidents cannot be ruled out,” she explains.
As a few rays of sunshine peek through the cloudy sky for a short time, we visit the breeding station and its volunteers. Even though we have already seen the panda bears in Chengdu, the sight of them here delights us all over again. Especially because the resort is surrounded by subtropical mountain slopes, giving the impression of wilderness. In the evening, Sophie invites us to her farewell party in a small bar. She would like to stay here for a whole year and regrets tearfully that she has to leave the next day…
If you would like to find out more about our adventures, you can find our books under this link.
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