Focus

Animal lover's ambitious agenda

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-11 07:52

Frenchman David Algranti, left, helps clean out an enclosure. Provided to China Daily

David Algranti did not quit his job and travel all the way from Paris, France, to Chengdu only because it involves getting close to cute pandas - he has a broader mission in mind.

"I don't just want to spend a great month with cute pandas," said the former marketing assistant, who is considering a new career in animal protection.

"I want to be able to extend and make full use of the things I'm going to learn here," he insisted.

With talk of a possible panda base being opened in the French capital, Algranti said he is also hoping that the experience of being a pambassador will help him secure a role in the project.

As an animal lover, the 34-year-old said he has watched countless wildlife documentaries and collected his own WWF photo album - yet he had had little luck with pandas until he arrived in Sichuan province as a Project Panda finalist.

"Whenever I went to see them in the zoo, they were hiding or sleeping," he said.

His best opportunity to get a look at the ancient animal was during a photo shoot at the breeding base on Sept 28. All 12 finalists were given the chance to hug a panda.

Although excited about a moment he had dreamed of for years, Algranti admitted the moment was somewhat sullied by the sheer number of photographers jostling for position around them.

"Putting the emphasis on touching a panda is missing the point," he said. "Panda hugging is something for ordinary tourists, while being a pambassador means so much more than that."

Algranti said he could not wait to start the lessons that will make him a professional panda caretaker, teaching him new skills about handling and conservation.

"I don't think I can tell people I'm a pambassador just because I won the contest," he added. "I want to be able to tell them that I'm a pambassador because I did something for the panda."

The giant panda is among the most endangered animals on Earth. There are 310 giant pandas living in captivity, with only about 1,600 left in the wild.