Visitors to Edinburgh Zoo spiked by 50 per cent in the fi rst year that the pandas became residents, and interest remains high
Environmental protection awareness is at the
heart of our mission and giant pandas are global ambassadors for species survival and protection
regarding giant pandas has always been extremely conservative. To date we’ve not seen any tail off in interest and we’ve bucked the trend for a panda zoo in year two,” he says. “Realistically there’ll be a reduction in
visitor levels at some point, however no zoo that has ever had giant pandas in recent years have ever returned them – all have extended their agreements.” Of course, the biggest boon for gener-
ating visits and publicity is the birth of a panda cub. At 1/900th of their moth- er’s size – one of the smallest ratios for a newborn mammal – panda cubs are appealing to visitors and newspaper editors alike, driving up gate receipts and earning huge amounts of publicity. The media went into minor frenzy
last summer after speculation that Edinburgh’s Tian Tian might be pregnant. However, in the end it’s sus- pected she may have miscarried.
AM 1 2014 ©cybertrek 2014 In the absence of nature’s mira-
cles, zoos have been forced to explore innovative showcasing methods to maintain the panda buzz. Toronto Zoo became the world’s latest recipient of cubs when it welcomed Er Shun and Da Mao in March 2013 and the centre has sought to heighten public interaction with the cuddly creatures by creating its Giant Panda Experience exhibit.
Panda interpretation The centre offers conservation and educational features designed for adults and children, using a variety of graph- ics and model displays, as well as interactive features, multi-media games and audio-visual presentations. One element particularly popular with visitors is the food display, which shows the amount of bamboo each panda eats in a day and also “panda poop” to illustrate the output of the
bamboo. “At 8,000 sq ft (745 sq m), the Panda Interpretive Centre, is one of the largest panda educational facilities in the world,” says Toronto Zoo’s chief operating offi cer Robin Hale. “The centre employs many state-of-
the-art interactive features to convey the importance of habitat preserva- tion for the protection and survival of many threatened and endangered wild species, not just the giant panda.” Toronto Zoo’s approach appears to
have paid off. Recent attendance fi gures show a year-on-year increase of 31 per cent for the fi ve months since the exhibit opened, and the zoo says it’s ahead of budget on revenue projections. So far it seems, the pandas are
earning their keep, which is just as well when you consider their bamboo, specially fl own in from a planta- tion in Memphis, comes to $200,000 (€145,000, £122,000) a year.
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