Wolong Panda Base

Chinese Name: 卧龙熊猫基地（Wolong Xiong Mao Ji Di）
Location: Gengda Township, Wolong, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
Ticket: CNY90.00
Estimated tour time: 1-2 hours
Recommended time to visit: all year round.
Nearby attractions: Dengsheng Valley, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Yingxiu Earthquake Site.

Wolong National Nature Reserve is located in the southwest of Wenchuan County, 130km (80 miles) from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. It is the core part of Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, one of the World Natural Heritages in China. Completed in 1963, Wolong National Natural Reserve is the earliest, largest and best-known panda reserve in China. It was placed on UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Network in 1980. With the warm and humid climate favorable to bamboos, pandas' favorite food, it is an ideal place for the living and reproduction of giant pandas. Wolong National Nature Reserve is acclaimed as the Hometown of Giant Pandas, the National Treasure of China. More than one hundred pandas once inhabited there, accounting for over 10% of the nation's total.

Unfortunately, the Hetaoping Panda Center of Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve was badly destroyed by the Wenchuan Earthquake ,  the giant pandas have been relocated to the Bifengxia Panda Base, which is also managed by the China Panda Protection and Research Center.
After that, sponsored by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a new panda center was built in Shenshuping of Gengda Town in the reserve and put into use since Oct. 30, 2012. From then on, pandas were transferred to their new home in batches.

At present, there are over 30 captive pandas in Shenshuping Panda Base and travelers can admire them in different enclosures, see them playing, eating bamboos and climbing trees, understand the living habits of giant pandas in the superb natural environment, join as panda volunteers to get close to their daily life.

The giant panda is the most famous species of the reserve. Other typical larger Carnivora are the Ussuri dhole, Asian black bear, Asiatic golden cat, red panda, hog badger and yellow-throated marten. Hooved mammals are represented by Sichuan takins, wild boar, musk deer, mainland serows, Chinese gorals, tufted deer and sambar deer. Other noticeable mammals include golden snub-nosed monkeys, Tibetan macaques, complex-toothed flying squirrels, bamboo rats, and porcupines. Because the reserve comprises different altitudes, it includes tropical and temperate climate zones and harbors species typically for the tropics, like clouded leopards and sambar deer as well as species from temperate regions, like white-lipped deer, snow leopards and Turkestan lynxes. Camera-trap surveys conducted in the reserve area between 2005 and 2009 did not record any leopard.

● Panda Volunteer Program

In Wolong Panda Center, you can have a great opportunity to get close to the lovely giant pandas through the panda volunteer program.
During the program, the activities you can do include cleaning a panda enclosure, weighing and cleaning bamboo, clean the giant panda’s house,  learn to make the cakes of giant pandas, feed the adorable giant panda in person with carrot, cakes and other their favorite food.You will also have time to tour around the panda center and watch a panda movie. After the panda volunteer program, you can get the honorable panda certificate and badge or other delicate souvenirs to keep your amazing and meaningful moments.