Shangri-La launches ‘Care for Panda’ project
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts planted the first bamboo tree last month in a new 1.6-hectare bamboo plantation it is sponsoring in Sichuan province in China as part of Shangri-La’s Care for Panda project. The Hong Kong-based luxury hotel group, which operates 35 hotels in mainland China, marked the occasion in Chengdu with a signing ceremony. The plantation is attached to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Centre, which is located at the foot of Mount Qing Cheng and is a one-and-a-half-hours’ drive from Chengdu. Shangri-La will plant more than 9,000 CV.Ventricousinternode (Lei bamboo) and 90 trees on the land. The plantation will help provide food for the centre’s giant pandas. Currently under construction, the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Centre will be a much-needed base for rescued ill or elderly wild giant pandas and for the research of disease control. When the Dujiangyan Centre opens to the public in mid 2013, it will be able to house up to 30 pandas. Guests of Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu will be able to visit the centre and take special educational tours, learn about the plight of the giant pandas and engage in activities such as preparing food for pandas in the panda feeding kitchen. Shangri-La’s Care for Panda Project falls under the group’s Sanctuary, Shangri-La’s Care for Nature Project, which was launched in 2009 to support biodiversity conservation and habitat protection at Shangri-La resorts. Through Sanctuary, hotels develop awareness around endangered species, educate various stakeholders about natural habitats and track the progress in overall conservation efforts. This past fall, several of Shangri-La’s city hotels in mainland China launched pilot urban Sanctuary programs. In addition to Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu, these hotels include Shangri-La Hotel, Xian; Golden Flower Hotel, Xian; Shangri-La Hotel, Qingdao; and Traders Hotel, Shenyang. (http://www.shangri-la.com)
