Coolest Job Opening – 12 global finalists vie for chance to be Panda Ambassador

Global competition for panda keepers enters final round!!!

Twelve semi-finalists have begun training for one of the world’s most coveted jobs – “pambassador” (panda ambassador) – at a research base in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

Chriszelda Pieterse, a finalist hoping to become a "pambassador", looks for Zhenzhen, a star panda, during the training program in Chengdu, China

Hailing from Sweden, South Africa, Japan, the United States and other countries, the finalists are the lucky few remaining from a pool of more than 60,000 hopefuls who had applied for the rare chance to work as a panda keeper for one month.

They will be trained on how to feed the pandas, interact with cubs, and monitor their growth.

Candidate Annie-Danielle Grenier, who hails from Canada, said that she likes the new task and feels completely homely. “I love to cook for my family and friends, and it’s not much different cooking for pandas. The ingredients are different but it’s exactly the same, and I cook with love when I cook for my family and it’s the same for the pandas”.

“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to actually come here to work with pandas. This is like the most amazing experience I ever had” said Ashley Robertson from Alabama of the United States.

The six winners of the competition, organized by the base and conservation group WWF, will be chosen on September 29 based on how well they look after the pandas, understand conservation, and how good their communication skills are.

'Pambassadors' to Work for Caring Pandas

They will then spend a month working as panda keepers in Chengdu, witnessing the births of several baby pandas, blogging about their experiences (www.pandahome.com) to help raise awareness of the endangered animal’s plight.

As part of their ambassadorial role, Pambassadors will keep an Internet blog about their experiences.