Rainy Days and Pandas Play!

Names: Chelsey Butler and Catherine Jenkins
Class Year: 2019 and 2020
Hometown: Williamstown, WV and Proctorville, OH
Internship: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China


Believe it or not our time here in China has come to an end! After a fun filled 10 weeks it is time for us to return home to the states. This trip has been full of many unique learning opportunities and we are truly grateful that we got to experience this country. Not only did we get to see the hustle and bustle of the city but we also got to see the country side of China while climbing QingCheng Mountain.

The past two weeks we have continued working on our research project as well as watching training with the giant pandas. We also had the pleasure of listening to a talk from Dr. Wu about his research that combines physics and biology. We even gave our own talk to the Panda Base about our experiences here along with what the Zoo and Conservation Science program is all about. We have not been the only visitors at the base, this week we have met two keepers from the Copenhagen Zoo. One is an elephant keeper and the other is a primate keeper. We also got to see "The First Giant Panda Environmental Enrichment Project Design Competition" held at the base. The staff from separate sections of the Base were divided into three teams that each came up with their own enrichment items. The enrichment items were judged on categories such as originality, safety, and appearance. The winner of the competition was an enrichment item that they called the surprise ball. The staff the from the Sunshine Nursery and Delivery House created the enrichment, and we were so proud that the group that we got to work with won!

                                                     

In our last couple of weeks here not only did we observe the pandas but we went with James to have hot pot and see the Incredibles 2! We even got to have a nice dinner at Blue Frog with the keepers from Denmark and watch the England vs Belgium game from the World Cup!

Hot Pot!!

We have throughly enjoyed our time in China and can not believe how fast it has gone. We will miss the pandas along with the staff from the Panda Base and are so thankful for this opportunity. We will be leaving China tomorrow and look forward to reuniting with our families and friends!