Who wants to be a Panda Ambassador?

A giant panda sits beside a river in China Photo: Alamy

Any Panda huggers out there – and I mean the real kind.

The WWF China has just announced an intriguing competition to find six Panda Ambassadors – or ‘Pambassadors’ as they are calling them – to promote the cause of Panda conservation around the world.

The lucky winners, to be selected from a short-list of 12 finalists out of an initial long-list of 60, will get to spend a month at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, studying the bears’ habits and even getting to watch cubs being born. A rare treat, I reckon.

It reminds me slightly of that ‘Best Job on Earth’ competition run by Queensland tourist board in Australia to find a caretaker rep for a paradise island, only this gig doesn’t come with a fancy salary.

You need to be 18-40 and be able to spend a month at the Chengdu base studying the Pandas with local staff. You’ll also need to be able to blog about your experiences. They’ll throw in a return economy-class air fare and host you while you’re in China.

More details and application (by video message!) for budding ‘Pambassadors’ are to be found HERE. You need to reasonably quick about it as applications close on September 5^th.