China’s first ‘Panda Studies’ college set to welcome inaugural batch of 50 undergraduates
Based in "Panda University" in Sichuan province, the college aims to nurture specialists who can contribute meaningfully to the conservation of the vulnerable species.
This photo taken on Jan 7, 2024 shows pandas playing inside their enclosure at a zoo in China's southwestern Chongqing municipality. (Photo: AFP/STR)
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SINGAPORE: China’s first “Panda Studies” college will be welcoming its inaugural batch of 50 undergraduate students when the new semester begins in September, where they will learn the ropes of protecting giant pandas.
The college in Sichuan province will offer a bachelor’s programme in zoology and nature reserve management, including courses specialising in giant panda conservation, reported local news site Sixth Tone citing the university.
Of the 50 students accepted, 35 are from Sichuan itself while the rest come from other parts of the country, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The “Panda Studies” college was established last September by China West Normal University in Sichuan, along with the province’s forestry and grassland administration. It is based in the university’s College of Life Sciences.
The students will learn how to restore and manage giant panda habitats, as well as the breeding and release of the animals into the wild. Disease prevention and control will also be on the agenda.
The aim is to nurture conservation specialists who can work in the Giant Panda National Park and nature reserves, said the life sciences college dean Liao Wenbo as reported by China Daily.
Speaking to state news agency Xinhua, a teacher at the college said students will have the opportunities to pursue internships and gain hands-on experiences at the nature reserves and giant panda research centres.
Founded in 1956, China West Normal University itself is already known as “Panda University”, as it has signed agreements with several nature reserves and taken the lead in surveys and research projects of giant pandas.
It first began studying giant pandas in the 1970s under the lead of experts including the late Professor Hu Jinchu, known as the first man to study the animals in China, state-owned radio broadcaster China Radio International reported.
Pandas are considered a national treasure in China. The government has long used panda diplomacy to enhance its soft power, lending the large but cuddly-looking black-and-white bears to zoos in various countries over the decades as goodwill animal ambassadors.
At the same time, giant pandas face serious threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, with the Chinese government banning logging in their habitats in 1998.
There are only around 1,800 pandas left in the wild, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
