Shangri-La expands a new bamboo garden for ‘Care for Panda’ project

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ Care for Panda project has been further expanded to include a new bamboo garden at the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre in Sichuan province in China. The luxury hotel group is inviting members of its Golden Circle loyalty programme to join in and contribute to conservation efforts by donating Golden Circle (GC) Award Points in exchange for bamboo seedlings to be planted in the garden.

Two years ago Shangri-La began planting the 15,840 bamboo seedlings now maturing on a 1.6-hectare plot of land adjoining the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre – a much-needed base for rescued, ill or elderly wild giant pandas and research centre for disease control. By sponsoring the plot of land and bamboo plantation, Shangri-La is helping to ensure food security for the centre’s cherished residents, which include 29 giant pandas and four red pandas.

The Centre’s new bamboo garden will be planted with 30 different bamboo species to serve the purpose of further research and to provide an information area for visiting students, guests and tourists. For every 2,000 GC Award Points donated by a Golden Circle member, approximately 4.4 bamboo seedlings will be planted in the garden.

Additionally, guests of Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu exclusively have access to programmes at the panda base, which is located at the foot of Mount Qing Cheng, a one-and-a-half-hours’ drive from Chengdu. During educational excursions to the base, guests can learn more about the plight of endangered giant pandas and participate in learning activities such as preparing healthy ‘panda cookies’ in the Panda Kitchen sponsored by Shangri-La.

Shangri-La’s Care for Panda is a ‘Sanctuary, Shangri-La’s Care for Nature Project’. Sanctuary was first launched in 2010 to make a concerted effort to ensure that biodiversity conservation and habitat protection are consistent across all resorts. In 2012, Sanctuary projects were launched in urban cities in China as well. Through this flagship project, each hotel works on developing, tracking and monitoring activities such as species management count, visits by local schoolchildren and guests, and other awareness and educational modules.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the world’s premier hotel companies, currently owns and/or manages more than 85 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 36,000. Over four decades the group has established its brand hallmark of ‘hospitality from the heart’. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, Cambodia, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Qatar and Sri Lanka.