Volunteers add color to panda base
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"We like Wolong. We miss Wolong."
At the Panda Kindergarten in Bifengxia base, the reporter met three more foreign volunteers: Amanda Bright from England, Lynne Adelman from California, USA and Pam DeNeve from South Carolina, USA.
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Pam DeNeve (L) from South Carolina, USA and Lynne Adelman (R) from California, USA were interviewed by China.org.cn at Bifengxia Base in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, on April 28, 2009. [China.org.cn] |
![Pam DeNeve (L) from South Carolina, USA and Lynne Adelman (R) from California, USA were interviewed by China.org.cn at Bifengxia Base in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, on April 28, 2009. [China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20090505/000cf1a48b7f0b6a4e390b.JPG "Pam DeNeve (L) from South Carolina, USA and Lynne Adelman (R) from California, USA were interviewed by China.org.cn at Bifengxia Base in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, on April 28, 2009. [China.org.cn]")
They have been working at the base since April 23. "We are all animal lovers," said Bright. "We can get to know more about pandas by working here with these breeders. Otherwise, pandas are just pandas, we know nothing about them."
Bright also shared her daily volunteer work with the reporter. "We've been cleaning the pandas' enclosures and putting out fresh bamboo for them, and later in the day we go and give them what they call 'panda bread', carrots and apples. In the afternoon, we put out more fresh bamboo and we also give them bamboo shoots."
"This kind of work goes on only under the supervision of the panda master," DeNeve smiled and said.
This is in fact their second stint as panda volunteers. "We went to Wolong in 2007 and all the pandas came here after the earthquake, so we wanted to see the people and the pandas we worked with in Wolong, to see if they were safe."
"We all met in Wolong together," said Adelman, "but we haven't been to Wolong since the earthquake."
Referring to Wolong, all three were quite excited. "We miss Wolong. We'll go back there when it reopens in two or three years. The pandas are beautiful. The people there really love pandas. They care for pandas a lot and it's very nice to see."
According to Bright, there is a big difference between Wolong and Bifengxia base. "Wolong is smaller. The workers there are a lot closer together and pandas are a lot closer. It is very quiet, very peaceful and beautiful. Bifengxia base, on the contrary, is big and noisy. It's nice, but we like Wolong."
"The volunteer work at Wolong was a little bit harder for us. Basically, because we had to pull a lot of carts. We don't do that here, they use trucks," Adelman said.
"We had more contact with pandas at Wolong than here," DeNeve added.
Words from the bottom of their heart show that they really enjoy their volunteer work with the cute pandas. In spite of the devastating earthquake, hope underlies everyone's heart, including the foreigners.
According to the staff at Bifengxia base, the Wolong Panda Club is responsible for the reception and management of volunteers. The Wolong Panda Club, a green social group founded in 1992, works as the main access channel for the public to learn more about giant pandas. With "Help Us, Help Giant Pandas" as their slogan, they call on more people to protect pandas and their habitat.
For details about volunteer applications, please click here:
