Hey everyone! My name is Zachary David, and you may recognize me as I was one of PDXWildlife’s interns from November to February of last year! I am ecstatic to have been hired on to continue working with PDXWildlife in Gengda as a Field Research Team Lead for the next 3 months! I will be continuing the work we started last time I was in China with the Giant Panda reintroductions, as well as starting a new study on different styles of weaning pandas away from their mothers. I will also help train new interns that arrive in China while Nate and Meghan are away!

Since the end of my internship, I have been working with Utah State University on a translocation research project with Greater Sage Grouse! We translocated 40 individuals from an area with a high population to an area with a low population, and monitored them using GPS and VHF/UHF collars. While grouse certainly aren’t as cute as pandas, we did get to trap them in the wild which involved ATV’s and giant nets in the middle of the night, which was a lot of fun.

Pandas hold a very special place in my heart when it comes to my career in conservation. When I was 14 I visited China with my family and took a tour of the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center. That was one of the first times I was able to see a front lines conservation effort and it left a large impact on my career aspirations. When looking at conservation news, it can often paint a glum picture for the future of a vast majority of endangered species. Seeing people dedicating their lives to conserving a species can do a lot to change that negative perception, and I truly believe helped inspire me towards a career in conservation. Even now, as Giant Pandas have moved from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, pandas have helped me believe that with a concerted effort, positive change can happen. I can’t wait to keep you all updated on what’s happening in Gengda! Please comment if you have any questions about what we are doing!

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Let me be the first to say that we (PDXWildlife) are excited to have you on board Mr. David! As our very first field research lead, you are in a very unique position that is sure to be mutually beneficial given your past experience and future conservation goals. Just a few days remain until the “pandathon” begins. See you in Chengdu.