Information about an unusual vacancy is popular on the Internet - supposedly in China they are looking for a person whose main duty will be hugged with pandas. We decided to check if this is so.

The fact that in China they are looking for employees whose responsibilities will be to embrace the pandas. Media, Information And Entertaining Portals. Information about an unusual vacancy shall share users of social networks ("VKontakte" Facebook*, Instagram*, "Classmates" Telegram) and the platform blog ("Zen" Livejournal). In some sources Others are also being clarified Conditions such work: supposedly size salaries, offered to such a specialist, is $ 32,000, and the minimum age of the applicant is 22 years. In addition, the applicant must be able to photograph and possess basic knowledge about panda. The employer also allegedly promises to provide the employee with housing and food.

Information about this work of dreams has been circulating on the Internet for several years. The very first mention of a similar vacancy, which “verified” was found, was posted in 2014 on site China Daily publications. Details - salary, requirements for the applicant, other conditions - completely coincide, but the article is about finding a caretaker at the Chinese Center for Protection and Research of Giant Panda in Yaana. There is no question of hugging the hug of the hug and generally about the need to hug with pandas, employers describe the responsibilities as follows: “Your work has only one mission: spend 365 days with pandas and share their joys and sorrows.”

At the time of writing, the analysis of “verified” could not be found on the official sites of the Chinese center of protection and study of giant pandas or its branches (which belongs to the center in Jaana) of open vacancies-neither the hug of panda, nor the caretaker, nor any others. Moreover, it was not possible to find any information about the already working hugs of pands on the sites of the center, its branches or other organizations involved in pandas. Although, for example, the research base for breeding large pands in Chenddu tells On the Web about each of its own caretaker, as well as about research members teams center. Despite the fact that on the pages some employees Cute photos in an embrace with small pandas are really posted, according to other pictures, you can understand that the duties of such an employee also include feeding (and pandas per day Eat from 11 to 38 kg of bamboo!), cleaning, nursing newborn pands and much more. Juan Shunsze from the base in Chendu, working with young pandas, in an interview with Time tellsthat he considers one of the main advantages of his work the opportunity to constantly hug with these animals, but mentions many other responsibilities, far from always so light and pleasant. In March 2023, employees of the zoo in Guangzhou complainedIt’s very difficult to find staff, since “to be a panda is more difficult than most people think, and this work includes much more than just feeding and playing with pandas.”

Source: Research base for breeding large pands in Chenddu

When in 2019 China handed over two large pands to the Moscow Zoo, the media They asked Its director Svetlana Akulova, whether they plan to hire a special hug of, to which she replied: “There is no such profession, this is a joke, panda cannot be hugged, these are wild animals with large claws and teeth.” With her agree And the caretaker of the panda dilution base in Cunda Jan Kuisin, who claims that the friendliness of the pandas is a common misconception. In fact, people are forbidden to contact panda over two years old, since after this age they become fierce. Also experts Markthat cute photos where the pandas cling to the legs of the caretakers and hug them, in fact, illustrate the situation potentially traumatic for employees, as the pandas can bite strongly. Mentioned About the obtained scratches and bites and a fan of hugging with young pandas Juan Shunsze from the center in Chenddu.

The Internet is popular video, where the caretakers of panda breeding centers change into costumes of black and white bears and play with their wards, including hugging them. This is done in order for the pandas to be worried to interact with a person and they can be released in the wild to other pandas. However, here the role of employees does not at all come down to hugs: in addition to communication, they Teach Animals to choose a habitat, to extract food and defend themselves from enemies.

It is interesting that if you introduce the “Hug Pand” search query in Chinese, then most of the results will not be about working with cute animals, but about politics - so in the west Accepted Call supporters of rapprochement with China supporting the line of the Communist Party of this country. At the same time, if the profession of the hug of pandas in the literal sense of these words really existed and was any common, it is logical to assume that it was in the Chinese language that they would have to write more often about it. After all, almost all the pandas of the world, even born abroad, belong It is China that contains the largest number of these animals. Other countries receive them "for rent" as diplomatic Gestures of goodwill in the amount of only one or two individuals. There is even a separate term - “Panda-diplomacy".

Since the centers for breeding pandas in China exist, including on donations, attracting attention to these animals is very important, and cute photos and videos with good -natured pandas, hugging employees of the zoos, cope well with this task. In addition, they inspired tourists to buy servicespreviously existing in Chinese nurseries: for 2000 yuan (about 25,000 rubles at the time of writing a parsing), you could hold a ramp on the hands and hug her. However, since 2018, there is no more possibility - a service for hugging pands canceled In order to protect animals.

Thus, despite the fact that on the Internet you can find many cute photographs of hugging pands of zoos and reserves, a separate profession of the hug of these animals does not exist. Firstly, it is possible to hug relatively safely with pandy cubs, adults can be aggressive. Secondly, the pictures usually depict the caretakers of breeding centers, whose responsibilities, in addition to hugs for the photo, include a lot of other things: from feeding and cleaning to nursing newborns and arrangements of aviary. Experts note that this case is not at all easy, far from describing the work of a dream that has been dispersed on the network. At the same time, in the publication of 2014, which, apparently, became the primary source of such posts, did not say a word about the obligation to hug with pandas. So you can call the caretaker of dilution centers or zoos the hug of pandas only to the extent that the educators in kindergarten or nanny can be called hugs of children. They can do this, but this is far from the only and not their main function.

*Russian authorities They think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns social networks Facebook and Instagram, an extremist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.

Photo on the cover: Research base for breeding large pands in Chenddu