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| Kang Cher-won |
By Lee Kyung-min
Zookeeper Kang Cher-won, 47, said Friday, that his rapport with animals is one thing he would never trade anything for.
He cares for a pair of pandas ― a male Le Bao and a female Ai Bao ― at the Everland amusement park's zoo in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March. They are the second couple of pandas in Korea in 22 years after the first ― Ming Ming and Li Li ― were returned to China in 1998.
Kang said one thing that his 28-year experience of taking care of animals is that people and animals share a lot of similarities.
"We are all alike. For example, mothers that just went through labor get very anxious and irritable for fear that their newborns could be put into harm's way. They try to protect them at all cost, because they love their babies. Just like human beings do," he said.
Animals can tell whether the zookeeper is really caring for them, or just doesn't care that much, and pandas are no exception, Kang said.
"Making eye contact, patting them, giving them food, and helping them exercise are all part of building a relationship with them. You shouldn't be careless," he added.
For Kang, pandas are particularly special, because he met his wife while caring for Ming Ming and Li Li from 1994 to 1998 at the amusement park. His wife was park's zoo tour guide.
"She told me that she fell in love with me after watching how I cared for the animals in a consistent, sincere, and loving way. I should thank the pandas for working as a link between me and my wife," he said.
Animals that he wholeheartedly cares for always respond in the same way, which makes his job the most rewarding of all kind, he added.
"When spectators call and make noises to draw animals' attention, they don't usually look at them, but when I call their names and they respond, that's what makes it special," he said.
While criticism remains from animal rights activists against having a zoo and restricting animals' freedom, Kang said he believes animals in the zoo are better protected than those in the wild that run the risk of being killed by hunters.
"The panda is one of the most endangered species on the planet with only about 2,000 giant ones alive today. I will do my job to help the animals feel they are living in as good an environment as where they used to be, with the added bonus of feeling nourished, loved and relaxed," he said.
He cares for a pair of pandas ― a male Le Bao and a female Ai Bao ― at the Everland amusement park's zoo in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March. They are the second couple of pandas in Korea in 22 years after the first ― Ming Ming and Li Li ― were returned to China in 1998.
Kang said one thing that his 28-year experience of taking care of animals is that people and animals share a lot of similarities.
"We are all alike. For example, mothers that just went through labor get very anxious and irritable for fear that their newborns could be put into harm's way. They try to protect them at all cost, because they love their babies. Just like human beings do," he said.
Animals can tell whether the zookeeper is really caring for them, or just doesn't care that much, and pandas are no exception, Kang said.
"Making eye contact, patting them, giving them food, and helping them exercise are all part of building a relationship with them. You shouldn't be careless," he added.
For Kang, pandas are particularly special, because he met his wife while caring for Ming Ming and Li Li from 1994 to 1998 at the amusement park. His wife was park's zoo tour guide.
"She told me that she fell in love with me after watching how I cared for the animals in a consistent, sincere, and loving way. I should thank the pandas for working as a link between me and my wife," he said.
Animals that he wholeheartedly cares for always respond in the same way, which makes his job the most rewarding of all kind, he added.
"When spectators call and make noises to draw animals' attention, they don't usually look at them, but when I call their names and they respond, that's what makes it special," he said.
While criticism remains from animal rights activists against having a zoo and restricting animals' freedom, Kang said he believes animals in the zoo are better protected than those in the wild that run the risk of being killed by hunters.
"The panda is one of the most endangered species on the planet with only about 2,000 giant ones alive today. I will do my job to help the animals feel they are living in as good an environment as where they used to be, with the added bonus of feeling nourished, loved and relaxed," he said.