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Zoo deal set to bring giant pandas to city

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Published Date: 10 May 2008
GIANT Pandas may be heading to Edinburgh Zoo next year, it was reported today.
The deal follows more than a year of talks between zoo chiefs and senior Chinese officials, and if it goes ahead would make Edinburgh one of only a handful of zoos outside south-east Asia to house the animals.

It is hoped that a breeding pair of g
iant pandas, aged two or three, will arrive at the zoo next spring, to coincide with the attraction's centenary.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and Chinese government have signed a letter of intent to provide the attraction with the animals, it was reported today.

David Windmill, chief executive of the RZSS, said: "We have met many of those involved and I believe we stand a strong chance of bringing giant pandas to Edinburgh Zoo in 2009."

The animals, seen as the "biggest crowd-pullers on earth", are also considered to be very politically significant, with the Chinese government only loaning pandas to zoos if there is a good diplomatic relationship between the two countries involved.

The agreement will therefore have to be approved by the Chinese government, and have the backing of both Holyrood and Westminster. A final agreement could be signed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.





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  • Last Updated: 10 May 2008 11:40 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Edinburgh Zoo
 
1

,

10/05/2008 12:57:35
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
2

Brian M,

Edinburgh 10/05/2008 13:35:56
It's all to do with diplomatic retionships.

So I expect we are kowtowing to China
3

,

10/05/2008 16:55:55
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
4

Strathmore,

Angus 10/05/2008 19:04:05
Now what possible objection could Eddie Price have to the Diplomatic Relationship with a poor wee homless Panda?
5

Erica from East Kilbride,

11/05/2008 09:45:06
Edinburgh Zoo is a fine attraction, and will be made finer still with this addition. Congratulations to them.
6

misspiggy,

BroxBurn 11/05/2008 19:06:18
I have to say that edinburgh zoo should maybe concentrate on improving the life of the animals that are already there instead of obtianing yet new animals. FOr those who think that edinburgh zoo actually has major breeding programmes for all of their animals you're wrong. I talked to people there a few years ago and they were most proud of their albino snail population hardly the same as breeding pandas. Take a look at the distressed big cats and the polar bear and tell em they're happy. Can you honestly tell me that these animals want to be house in a concrete house for the rest of their lives that even we would feel was small. I hardly think that any of these animals bred in captivity or not oculd speak that they woudl be shouting pick me I want to live in a concrete enclosure for the rest of my life instead of living in the wild. We shoud all be looking to prevent the causes of their extinction form progressing, not taking the few animals left from the wild.
7

Pat Sharpe,

12/05/2008 13:11:39
No.7:
The Zoo is actively achieving these aims that you state, the tigers and leapord will shortly be moving to huge new enclosures at the highland wildlife park (owned by the same people).
The lions which are part of an endangered breeding programme have a fantastic facility and have already produced one litter.
As well as snow leopard leaving for better facilities.
While the polar bears situation is regrettable, this animal would have been killed if not for the zoo back in 1985.
Plans do exist for building a state of teh art facility but depend on raising money through selling land.

Edinburgh Zoo does a fantastic job both in Scotland and throughout the world, ploughing millions of pounds into conservation of wild animals.
8

Pandawatcher,

London 12/05/2008 14:45:03
I cannot agree with Edinburgh Zoo getting giant pandas. Do you realise how much it will cost? China charges the USA one million dollars per panda! That will cost the Edinburgh Zoo around two and half million pounds, and then there is the upkeep of these beautiful creatures. The USA are doing so well in their 'care' of them. Take a look at the zoo websites and see how the pandas are getting on. Oh you will read all about how wonderful it is and how happy the bears are, but look for yourself and decide for yourself. In China, the pandas are being bred factory farm style, with the babies being removed from their mothers at 4-6 months (and that means no more mothers milk) and put into a creche so that the mother can be impregnated quickly to get more pandas. Then China get a begging bowl out and ask for donations to provide milk for the poor babies! An endangered species being removed from the best nutrition it can get and then the females being made to have more usually by AI. And all in thhe name of conservation! Oh...and yes, er, China get a lot of money by sending them to the USA and other countries to appear in thheir zoos as 'crowd pullers' and take part in the conservation programme, getting them to have more cubs for people to come and gawp at. The these cubs are removed at 18 months (still too young) and are distressed and unhappy as are the mothers, so that the zoo can get more cubs for conservation. And crowd pulling. You can check all this out, dont take my word if you dont like what I am saying,I wish it were all genuine because then the pandas would be safe and happy but its not. There are rather sinister groups that donate to the zoos in the US and they try to dictate terms, demanding more cubs and gloating when the cubs are removed from their mothers (commennts like 'no more milk' and 'the cub is BIG now' as the poor little cub is taken from its mother and shows signs of distress. Those of us who object are branded sentimental and foolish. Nothing of the
9

misspiggy,

BroxBurn 13/05/2008 13:00:06
no 8 my point is these animals have been in thesse enclosures for years, an your sayin it's all good because they are hopefully going to get new enclosures soon, but what about all the previous years. Also 1 litter of lion cubs is not that brilliant and is probably a result of them being in captivity in the first place. You have to remember that these are wild animals, and if a breeding programme is to be successful on a large scale then these animals need to be released back into the wild which clearly does not happen. Overall we as a human race need to stop plundering their homes and stop destrying their habitats. Until then there is not a clear point in breeding these endangered animals unless we can release them into a safe environment. To be honest with regards to the polar bear, it should not have been in a zoo in the first place, can you honestly tell me that that bear wants to live like that, i'm sure he'd rather be dead than living alone and on a concrete block jumping up and down all day because it's distressed. I know it may be hard in terms of space to improve things at the zoo but at the end of the day if you cant give an animal a good and healthy and more or less stress free environment endgangered or not the animals shouldn't be there. Zoos may do a good job overal but endagered species can only survive in the long term properly when populations in the wild are restablished and this more or less does not happen with animals from zoos.

 

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