Foreign visitors volunteer at Sichuan panda center

Last month, Ellis Ralson and her family flew from Chicago to Chengdu to volunteer at the Wolong Giant Panda Base at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

Ellis, her sister Clarke, and their parents helped clean the enclosures and make panda snacks.

"I love giant pandas, as well as red pandas. Especially when I see them in cartoons and movies, they are so adorable," the five-year-old said, adding that pandas are precious, protected species, and she was happy to see both kinds during her visit to China.

Jiang Weidong, their tour guide, said that he has welcomed visitors from many different countries, with those from the United States making up a large proportion, especially during the summer birthing season.

"Volunteer activities are open to all visitors and can be booked online. We are usually very busy, as there are a lot of foreigners who participate in volunteer activities," he said.

There is a long history of official and nongovernmental giant panda exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States.

In 1972, during then-US President Nixon's visit to China, China gave Xing Xing and Ling Ling from Baoxing, Sichuan as gifts and the year was designated "Giant Panda Year" in the United States. Then in 1996, Bai Yun and Shi Shi were sent to San Diego Zoo as part of a research program. They were the first pair sent abroad on such a scheme.

On Dec 6, 2000, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were sent to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where they gave birth to Tai Shan in 2005. Tai Shan is the most popular panda, with the most fans worldwide.

According to the agreement, giant pandas born abroad must return to China when they reach the age of two. In 2007, due to strong demand from the US public, the Chinese government agreed to extend Tai Shan's stay in the United States for an additional two years. To celebrate, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that April 24th would be designated "Panda Day" in the city.

In February 2010, Tai Shan, who was already a nearly 4-year-old adult, returned to Sichuan before the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The giant panda is unique to China and one of the oldest surviving species on Earth. It is a rare species in the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. In 1869, the French naturalist and missionary Armand David, introduced the unique animal which has been living in China for 8 million years, to the Western world. Since then, the giant panda has won the love of people around the world.

According to the Fourth National Giant Panda Survey, there are currently 1,864 wild giant pandas in China and at the end of last year, there were an additional 698 in captivity.

According to figures from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, between 1957 and 1982, China gifted 24 giant pandas to 9 countries.

Since the 1980s, due to the deterioration of their environment, and the sharp decline in numbers, in accordance with the spirit of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, China has stopped gifting giant pandas to other countries. Instead, it engages with them in international cooperation and research. As of June, China had cooperation relationships with 22 zoos in 19 countries, with 64 giant pandas and their cubs residing overseas.