Description of the Conservation Center

The Conservation Center is home to 15 Giant Pandas that need specialized attention and care. The pandas are kept in enclosures with access to plenty of green space. It is important to note that this center is primarily concerned with conservation and research and is not a safari park. However, the center does have an active tourist operation, which helps to fund the conservation efforts. The Conservation Center is home to other endangered species and other wildlife including the Crested Ibis, Golden Monkeys, the Taki, black deer, Lesser Panda, peacocks and the Sika. As a volunteer you will be working primarily with the Giant Pandas. However, you will have the opportunity to help out with the other animals as well. In addition to the Giant Pandas, the Golden Monkeys and Crested Ibis are also native to China.

Volunteer tasks: How can you help?

As a volunteer, you will work with the project staff and the country coordinator to structure your volunteer experience. There are a variety of ways you can help! Volunteer options have been fine-tuned over time by our volunteers, the staff at the center and our Country Coordinator. You can choose which animals you would like to work with. You might be asked to assist the staff with administrative tasks in the Center. Your volunteer experience will include teaching English to the staff so that they may better communicate with tourists, translate professional journal articles, write marketing materials, and attend conferences. You could also have the opportunity to teach English in a local primary school. Your volunteer experience at the Conservation Center can include:

• Feeding and watering the animals
• Cleaning animal enclosures
• Bathing the animals
• Observing the animals and noting animal behavior
• Helping with general maintenance and upkeep of the Conservation Center including landscaping, fencing and other types of repair and maintenance
• During tourist season, directing tours of the Conservation Center
• Helping with administrative tasks of the center, such as data entry, creating marketing materials and brochures, editing the website, etc.
• Teaching staff English and conversing with them

Other Activities for Volunteers

There are numerous other activities you may be involved in as a volunteer at the Conservation Center. For example, there are opportunities to teach English in the local primary school. The children there are eager to learn conversational English and like to learn English songs and games. In addition, the Conservation Center staff organizes trips to the nearby mountains by foot or horseback when weather is nice. You can also combine this volunteer experience with another Rustic volunteer experience in China such as volunteering in an orphanage, teaching English or working with disabled children. Excursions to explore Xi'an during the weekend can also be arranged.

The Panda Conservation program is located in Lougantai in the Shaanxi province. This is a remote, rural area about 2 hours outside of Xi'an. On time off volunteers can travel to explore X'ian. Xi'an, a walled city, is one of the oldest cities of China. Xi'an boasts famous cultural attractions such as the Terracotta Army, Bell Tower of Xi'an and numerous pagodas and temples. Xi'an is also home to six Chinese National Parks and Mount Hua, one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains.

Volunteers can organize different possible excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place in China the volunteer can use during weekends. For example: caves, ancient and modern royal palaces, markets, Chinese dragon boat racing, Mongolian wrestling, festivals, architecture, temples, art, restaurants, beaches, hotels, and many more.