The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province was recently abuzz with tourists sketching the cuddly animals, capturing their antics.

The best drawings stood to win prizes from Stanley Black & Decker, a Fortune 500 firm manufacturing tools and hardware.

"The activity is aimed at creating public awareness on the importance of protecting the endangered giant panda," says Cissy Cui, chief financial officer of Asia, Stanley Black & Decker. The company also donated 500,000 yuan ($79,000) to the research base and adopted an eight-month-old female panda.

It costs an estimated 80,000 yuan annually to raise a panda but more if the panda falls ill. Research base chief Zhang Zhihe says the center welcomes panda adoptions of between one year and a lifetime.