AMBASSADOR FOR GIANT PANDAS
Chengdu Panda Valley, China ©Ylenia Vimercati
GIANT PANDA CONSERVATIONChengdu panda ambassadors speak up for species well-beingThe Searching for Chengdu Panda Ambassadors was a program launched by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in 2010 and 2012 to promote conservation and public awareness all over the world by capturing people's attention on the well-renowned flagship species Ailuropoda melanoleuca.
I was selected both times to take part to this once-in-a-life experience to be a spokesperson for this endangered species. I had the chance to assist researchers in their daily work at the Base and to be involved in education and public outreach through the social media. |
The Global Search for Chengdu Pambassador 2012 was a program launched for the second time by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, WildAid and Yao Fundation to recruit 16 volunteers from the four regions Asia-Pacific, Americas, EMEA, and China. The finalists were selected during a series of previous competitions held in each of the four regions where participant’s conservation knowledge, ability to spread the conservation message, and physical skills were tested.
During the 3 weeks in Chengdu the candidates faced a training at the Panda Base side by side with experts, explored the wild habitat of the Giant Panda, and experienced the Chengdu Panda Valley a place where pandas can get ready to be reintroduced in the wild. At the end of the program three contestants were selected as spokespeople to promote the conservation message all over the world. |
During summer 2010 the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, with the support of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), launched on the net the Project Panda Searching for Chengdu Pambassadors to select 12 animal welfare spokespeople to live a unique experience in China. After a strict process I was selected as one of the top twelve Panda Ambassador finalists among 60,000 participants from all over the world.
Along with the other participants I completed a 2-week training to take care of and study giant pandas, and spread the conservation message to reach as many people as possible through the social media. |