Giant pandas Xiangxiang, Yongming, Yingbang, and Taobang living in Japan have returned to China in recent days. Giant panda Yaya in the United States, who is in poor health, is also scheduled to return to China no later than April 7. In addition to the United States and Japan, the United Kingdom and Finland also plan to return giant pandas... Recently, giant pandas living abroad have attracted great attention from Chinese people at home and abroad. How are giant pandas treated in foreign countries? Is it because many countries are gathering to return giant pandas because they cannot afford to raise "national treasures"? We took stock of 66 giant pandas living overseas and found that this was completely a misunderstanding.
"Expired" pandas need to be returned
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than 20 giant pandas became "envoys of friendship" to convey to the world the Chinese people's will to pursue the path of peaceful development. In the mid-to-late 1990s, in order to better protect giant pandas, my country further announced that it would stop leasing pandas for commercial purposes. Overseas countries can only lease giant pandas to China under the premise of breeding, protection, and research. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently 66 giant pandas living overseas in my country. Among them, 11 giant pandas live in the United States. The number of giant pandas leased from Japan is also relatively large, with a total of 9. The Bang family bred by "Yongming" is the largest giant panda family overseas.
After giant pandas become "scientific research exchange ambassadors", the length of the lease is strictly limited, and a giant panda breeding research cooperation agreement needs to be signed with China. Generally, a pair of healthy and reproductive giant pandas are leased on a 10 to 15-year cycle, and the contract can be renewed appropriately after expiration. If a panda gives birth to a cub during the lease period, the baby panda will also belong to China. Recently, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries have returned giant pandas, which is a normal return after the expiration of the agreement. For example, "Yaya" arrived in the United States in 2003, renewed the 10-year agreement in 2013, and is scheduled to return to China this year. "Yaya" has now entered an old age, exceeding the life expectancy of giant pandas in the wild by nearly 10 years. It is time for her to return to her roots.
Affected by the epidemic, the return date of some giant pandas to China has been slightly delayed. "Xiangxiang" was originally scheduled to be returned to China at the end of December 2020, but it was postponed to this year due to the epidemic. Similarly, giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian in the United States and Tian Tian and Yang Guang in the UK will also return to China after their agreements expire within the year.
There are also some zoos that have been unable to provide guarantees for the normal life of giant pandas due to the impact of the epidemic. For these giant pandas in need of assistance, the research plan will be suspended, the giant pandas will be returned to China in advance, and the giant pandas will never be wronged. For example, due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the shortage of food supply, the two giant pandas "Da Mao" and "Er Shun" living in the Calgary Zoo in Canada returned to China early at the end of 2020. It is expected that at least 9 giant pandas will return to the motherland this year.
The "gold-attracting beast" is also the "lucky cat"
Comparing panda pavilions from various countries, it can be found that the Memphis Zoo Panda Pavilion, built in 2003, cost a huge investment of 16 million US dollars and covers an area of 3 hectares. It ranks among the best in terms of construction cost and space area. Yaya, the giant panda living in the United States that has recently attracted attention due to her health condition, lives here. Communication between the China Zoo Association and the Memphis Zoo stated that there are no problems with Yaya’s living facilities and bamboo supply. Except for hair loss caused by skin diseases, she is in good physical condition and there is no problem of online abuse.
Belgium’s Paradise Zoo has opened a 4-hectare exclusive bamboo forest for pandas, and the species of bamboo have been carefully selected; the Netherlands’ Ovehan Zoo invested more than 7 million euros to prepare a luxurious panda pavilion with a total area of 9,000 square meters.
In addition to "spending a lot of money" in places to stay, the cost of living overseas is also very high for giant pandas, making them a veritable "four-legged money-attracting beast." After overseas zoos rent pandas, they have to bear the costs of raising and operating them. In addition to living costs, foreign parties also need to pay rent and insurance fees to China.
Why are countries still willing to rent giant pandas? This is because giant pandas are loved all over the world and have countless fans. The foot traffic and operating income they create for local zoos can cover the expensive rental and living costs. In the first year after giant pandas moved into the zoo, the number of visitors to the Adelaide Zoo in Australia increased from 349,000 to 595,000 a year; the number of visitors to the Beauval Zoo in France jumped from 600,000 to 1.6 million. It seems that no matter which country they are in, giant pandas are "lucky cats".
The giant panda family continues to grow
Driven by the care of people around the world and the Chinese-foreign giant panda research cooperation plan, panda populations around the world have been better protected.
As of the end of 2022, the global captive giant panda population reached 673, nearly double that of ten years ago. In China, the main habitat of giant pandas, the wild population of giant pandas has increased from 1,114 in the 1980s to 1,864. As the international and domestic cooperation and exchange platforms for giant pandas continue to expand, giant panda breeding technology becomes increasingly mature, and overseas giant panda families are also prospering. More and more panda cubs are born overseas, and currently 21 giant panda cubs have survived overseas.
I believe that in the future, friendly and cute giant pandas will appear in more countries and contribute to promoting world peace and development.
Beijing Zoo: Ready to welcome "Yaya"
Since "Yaya" belongs to the Beijing Zoo, on March 1, the reporter contacted the Beijing Zoo and learned from the staff about the latest progress of "Yaya"'s return date, feeding and care. At present, China has issued import licenses and quarantine permits, determined quarantine sites, and made relevant preparations.
Beijing Zoo staff told reporters that the Beijing Zoo has made sufficient preparations to welcome Yaya home, including staffing experienced keepers and preparing food for Yaya in advance. The zoo is also within the scope of preparations for other needed treatments such as Yaya's skin disease.
In addition, "Yaya" will undergo quarantine after returning to China. The staff said that after the quarantine period, "Yaya" will return to the Beijing Zoo to recuperate.