Holding a panda is not a thing you can buy

Any listing that promises you can hug, hold, or hand-feed a giant panda is either out of date or lying. Direct contact has been suspended at every major facility, and the reason is disease control rather than marketing.

What is normal

• Watching a keeper feed an animal from behind a rail.
• Preparing food, cleaning service corridors, carrying bamboo.
• A certificate from the conservation centre at the end of the day.

Red flags

“Guaranteed cub photo”, prices far below the going rate for a full-day programme, and any operator who cannot tell you which base the programme runs at. Ask that question first; the honest ones answer immediately.