ZOOS FLYING PANDAS – BY FEDEX
The high-profi le nature of modern panda leasing has turned the practice into big business – best exemplifi ed by the fact that transporter FedEx now offers a panda ex- press service to fl y bears around the world. Having fl own polar bears, white tigers, elephants, a rhinoceros, lions, gorillas and a 13ft (4m) tiger shark, FedEx set up its pan- da express in 2000 and has so far carried 12 pandas across the globe.
Panda interpretation The centre offers conservation and edu- cational features designed for adults and children, using graphics and model dis- plays, plus interactive features, multi-me- dia games and audio-visual presentations. Particularly popular with visitors is the food display, showing the amount of bam- boo each panda eats in a day and also “panda poop” to illustrate the output of the bamboo. “Our Panda Interpretive Centre is one of the largest panda educational facilities in the world,” says Toronto Zoo’s chief operating offi cer Robin Hale. “It employs many state-of-the-art inter- active features to convey the importance of habitat preservation for the survival of many threatened and endangered wild species, not just the giant panda.” This approach appears to have paid off, with attendance fi gures showing a year-on- year increase of 31 per cent for the fi ve months after the exhibit opened. So far, it seems, the pandas are earning
their keep, just as well when you con- sider their bamboo costs US$200,000 (£116,524, €147,228) a year. It’s not just about the money though. Hale adds: “We’ve always put environmen-
114 Attractions Handbook 2014-2015
The nine-hour fl ight to Edinburgh in 2011 required 21 months of co-ordination between three teams of specialists in three countries. With custom-made Plexiglas enclosures, a team of four experts on board plus copious amounts of bamboo and mineral water, the pandas received VIP care during the 5,000-mile fl ight from Chengdu. While FedEx inevitably benefi ts from the exposure of these major media events,
tal protection awareness at the heart of our mission and giant pandas are global ambassadors for species survival and protection. A key objective of the 21st century is to show people the connection between wildlife survival and protection and sustainable human development.”
Beijing benefi ts
The practice of obtaining pandas from China is not new. Originating in the 1950s under Chairman Mao, the gifting of pandas – ‘panda diplomacy’ – to foreign nations proved so popular that China gave 23 pandas to nine different countries between 1958 and 1982. Since the mid-1980s though, China has stopped giving away pandas, instead leas-
ing them for around US$1m (£582,620, €736,141) per year over what is typically a decade-long contract. However, despite the price hike, the western public’s love of pandas remains undiminished. Ever since the WWF chose the panda as its logo in 1961, the bear has come to represent one of the most treasured and mysterious creatures of nature, while mod- ern movies such as Kung Fu Panda have attracted a whole new generation of fans.
FedEx has fl own polar bears and rhinos across the globe
Trevor Hoyle, MD of UK & Ireland ground op- erations, points out: “FedEx Express doesn’t charge for transporting the pandas. We feel honoured to be called upon to ensure safe passage, thus indirectly helping with the efforts to save the endangered species.”
Weighing up costs However, Dave Towne, president of the Giant Panda Conservation Foundation for North America, insists leasing a panda is more a labour of love than a calculated business decision. “I try to discourage in- stitutions from going after pandas, unless they have a really strong commitment and a large cheque book,” he says, pointing out that zoos face additional costs for feeding, extra staff and entertaining Chinese visitors, as well as having to fund further research and projects. “It’s a long commitment that will require US$15-30m (£8.8-17.5m, €11.1-22.2m).” All the money paid to China for the pandas is reinvested in conservation projects across the country’s north where the bears primarily reside. China appears to see other benefi ts however, with a 2013 research paper by a team from Oxford sug- gesting that since 2008, panda loans have come about at the same time the country has been signing trade deals for valuable resources and technology.
The study claimed that panda loans made to Canada, France and Australia coincided with trade deals for uranium, while the Edinburgh panda exchange
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PHOTO: © SHUTTERSTOCK/ILYA AKINSHIN
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