China's first giant panda college in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which is also the hometown to giant pandas, recently began the first grouping of official enrolments, with 50 undergraduates is expected to attend the new major this autumn, according to China West Normal University (CWNU).
The college under CWNU was established last September by the Sichuan Forestry and Grassland Administration. The university is the earliest, longest-lasting and most influential university in the field of wild panda ecology, and has achieved world-wide attention for its researches over years.
A teacher at the college, Wei Wei, said that students have the opportunity to pursue internships and gain hands-on experiences during their college studies, participating in work related to giant panda protection, breeding, and disease prevention and control, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Many netizens have praised the college for its unique opportunity to interact with giant pandas. Some graduates also have expressed their desire to return to the college and pursue this new major.
According to a previous report, the college is set to play an important role in protecting the ecological environment, restoring animals' habitat, constructing a panda national park, promoting panda population growth, facilitating reintroduction into the wild, as well as conducting research and disseminating panda culture.
The college has signed cooperation agreements with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and several national nature reserves, according to Xinhua.
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