How would you like to spend a whole day shoveling panda poop?
It’s a lot more exciting to a lot more people than you think, because Zoo Negara is turning that simple premise into the selling point of their latest visitor-side activity involving its two adult Chinese giant pandas, Xing Xing and Liang Liang.
Called the Giant Panda Keeper Programme, the new attraction at Zoo Negara which kicked off on March 13 allows visitors to experience what it’s like to care for one of the the world’s most adorable – and endangered – mammals.
“Being a giant panda keeper is not easy. Through this programme, visitors will have to carry out tasks ranging from preparing the pandas’ food to cleaning out the feces from their enclosures at regular intervals,” Malaysian Zoology Association deputy president Rosly @ Rahmat Amat Lana told mStar.
“They’ll need to prepare “panda cakes”, carrots, apples, and bamboo shoots for the pandas’ meals, keep the panda enclosure clean, and to monitor the general wellbeing of the pandas at all times – under the supervision of accredited zoo officials from the Giant Panda Conservation Centre (GPCC).”
Only three visitors aged 16 and above will be able to sign on for the programme daily, and they will be put tow work from 8am to 4pm.
The Giant Panda Keeper Programme isn’t just hard work. You’ll need to pay Zoo Negara for the pleasure, too.
Malaysian visitors will be charged RM150 to register for the programme, while foreign visitors will be charged RM300. The cost will include breakfast and lunch, an official t-shirt, and a certificate of participation.
Rosly added that apart from working with the giant pandas, Zoo Negara also offers volunteer programmes for those who wish to work with the facility’s other species.
Those who are interested in joining the Giant Panda Keeper Programme can contact Zoo Negara’s Education, Public Relations and Marketing Department at 03-41083422 or education@zoonegaramalaysia.my.
