Giant pandas coming to Edinburgh Zoo – What is the point?

30/11/2011 12:49:35 Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo
November 2011. The Scottish Government has been taken to task over advertisements placed to coincide with the arrival of two Giant Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. Although the Scottish Government turned down requests from the Zoo for funding towards the cost of leasing the animals from the Chinese authorities it now appears the Government is keen to capitalise on the media interest in the new arrivals.

Huge cost to lease pandas
In the advert, placed by Government Department Natural Scotland, it is claimed that "the Chinese are gifting two giant pandas to live in Scotland ...". In fact the bears are being leased from the Chinese by Edinburgh Zoo. Although the Zoo has not disclosed the fee they are paying it is described on a Chinese Government website as "substantial" and is thought to be between £1 million and £1.4 million per year for the ten years of the leasing agreement. A complaint has been made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on the grounds that, by suggesting the animals are being supplied free of charge by the Chinese Government, the advert is untrue and misleading.

Complaint to Advertising Standards Authority by Animal Concern
In a Freedom of Information request the Scottish Government has been asked to disclose who initiated and authorised this advertising campaign and how much public money has been spent on it. The complaint to the ASA and the Freedom of Information request have been made by Animal Concern, an organisation which opposes bringing the Giant Pandas to Scotland.

John Robins of Animal Concern states; "These bears are being brought to Scotland in a desperate bid to solve a financial crisis at Edinburgh Zoo. Similar initiatives at other zoos have ended badly with the huge costs of leasing and caring for the pandas outstripping the extra income they generate.

Little or no conservation value
There is little conservation or educational value in the project and the vast sums of money being paid to the Chinese authorities would be better spent improving conditions for other animals at the Zoo or in buying large areas of the natural habitat of the Giant Panda and protecting it from human encroachment and commercial exploitation. It is quite sickening to see both the Scottish and Chinese Governments desperately trying to generate positive publicity on the back of the cute and cuddly image of the two pandas which are being transported half-way across the globe for nothing more than very unsavoury financial and political reasons. Instead of sucking up to Chinese politicians, Edinburgh Zoo would do more for conservation by taking them to task on the environmental damage and loss of habitat being caused in China by uncontrolled expansion of polluting industries. Alex Salmond should be criticising the Chinese human rights record instead of selling them cheap factory farmed salmon. These adverts are untrue and misleading and an extremely dubious waste of public money."

Edinburgh Zoo made a loss of circa £1.5 million last year and borrowed £2 million from Lloyds Bank this March to help pay for the new enclosure for the two pandas. Since January several staff and Trustees have left the Zoo.