18 August 2014
Bifengxia in Sichuan province, People's Republic of China
25
In June, my 10 year old daughter Mila and I embarked on an incredible journey as voluntary workers for 2 weeks at the Bifengxia Panda Base, 2 hours by bus South West of Chengdu in Sichuan province. There are only 1600 giant pandas left in the wild. This incredible organisation facilitates breeding in captivity. A female only has a window of 4 days a year to reproduce which can only contribute to their status of endangered species. Mila and I were privileged to work with 2 male giant pandas initially and then be promoted to an enclosure of 3 mothers, 1 male and 3 cubs. Our days were rhythm by feeding, cleaning indoors (not our favourite) and outdoors, chopping of copious amounts of bamboo (an adult will consume an average of 40kg daily) and observing behaviours. The base is surrounded by stunning bamboo forests, water falls and gorges. We stayed at a hostel owned by 4 generations all living with us, teaching us Sichuan and Mandarin and feeding us tasty super spicy meals. This invaluable experience resulted in a photo documentary to promote Projects Abroad, the international agency which facilitated our position in China.
Help
The beloved Chi Chi
200 days of rain each year
Our path to work
Mila feeding Gue Gue
Our boss with cub
Chi Chi's cub
Mila cleaning the enclosure
Poetic brooms
Mila chopping bamboo
Bamboo tasting
In full observation
Claws at rest
Fluff at rest
Mila at rest
Teenage cub snacks
On the way to work
Just like Italy
Textured Truck
Orderly slippers
The delightful Mrs Zhu and grand son
The great Mr Zhu on his way home
Wen Feng hostel
Mila in action
Tom, Mila and I
