Speaking to state news agency Xinhua, a teacher at the college said students will have the opportunities to pursue internships and gain hands-on experiences at the nature reserves and giant panda research centres.
Founded in 1956, China West Normal University itself is already known as “Panda University”, as it has signed agreements with several nature reserves and taken the lead in surveys and research projects of giant pandas.
It first began studying giant pandas in the 1970s under the lead of experts including the late Professor Hu Jinchu, known as the first man to study the animals in China, state-owned radio broadcaster China Radio International reported.
Pandas are considered a national treasure in China. The government has long used panda diplomacy to enhance its soft power, lending the large but cuddly-looking black-and-white bears to zoos in various countries over the decades as goodwill animal ambassadors.
At the same time, giant pandas face serious threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, with the Chinese government banning logging in their habitats in 1998.
There are only around 1,800 pandas left in the wild, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
