A giant panda breeding research center in southwest China's Sichuan Province launched a program Monday to recruit 30 volunteers from around the world to care for giant pandas during the Spring Festival holiday.

Any giant panda fan aged between 18 and 45 and with college degree can apply for the positions, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding said in a statement.

The volunteers should work at least two days between February 14 and February 28, it said, adding that fluent oral English is considered a strong point.

The application deadline is February 8.

Giant pandas, known for being sexually inactive, are among the world's most endangered animals.

There are about 1,600 giant pandas living in China's wild, mostly in Sichuan and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2010)