Giant pandas around the world

Currently, there are 26 zoos in 18 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom (Scotland), and United States) that have giant pandas. Finland received its first two pandas in January 2018. These zoos have contracts with China to house these pandas for a few years. Giant pandas are on the IUCN Red List so part of the reason these contracts exist between China and international zoos is to try to help the species reproduce before they are brought back to their native land. For this reason, pandas are treated very well.^[1]

Europe

Tian Tian and Yang Guang are the pandas that are housed in the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. They live in 275,000 pounds suites and have organic food flown in from the Continent. They are on loan from China and will return in 2021. “Tian Tian and Yang Guang have been put in enclosures designed by animal psychologists, which come complete with dens, private pools, a viewing platform and a room where the pandas will be given health check-ups.” In their new habitats, each panda has a climbing frame that will enable them to see each other over the tops of their enclosures. The design of the habitat is to resemble their natural habitat in the wild. They have caves to sleep in and rocks where they can lay and do their favorite pastime, munch on bamboo.^[2]

The former elephant enclosure became the Panda House at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo with a well-structured grounds (1015 m²) adapted. These pandas are also fed a nutritious diet, and provided with proactive medical care and a dedicated nurse team - one of the most important aspects in the panda attitude. Air-conditioning and a fog machine were installed in their habitat to keep the pandas safe and happy on hot summer days.^[3]

Belgian zoo Pairi Daiza hosts giant pandas Hao Hao and Xing Hui since April 2014.

Finnish Ähtäri Zoo also hosts two giant pandas named Lumi and Pyry. They arrived in Finland 18 January 2018 and opened for public 17 February, after one month of quarantine. They were named after the snowstorm that prevailed at the time they arrived in Finland. Lumi means snow in Finnish, while Pyry is the equivalent of a blizzard.

TheZoo Aquarium, in Madrid (Spain) is the home of Bing Xing (M) and Hua Zuiba (F) since 2007. They gave birth to twin cubs on 7 September 2010.^[4] Another cub, Xing Bao (F), was born in 2013 and in September 2016 Chulina (F).^[5] The zoo was also the site of the first giant panda birth in Europe, Chulin (M) in 1982 whose parents, Shao Shao (F) and Chang Chang (M), arrived in 1978. Chulin (M, 1982) was the first panda to be born in captivity in the western hemisphere and by artificial insemination outside China^[6][6][7]

In 2018 Copenhagen Zoo will receive two pandas. The pandas are set to live in a brand new inclosure designed by Bjarke Ingels Group.

Australia

Adelaide Zoo in Australia houses two pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, who were rescued from China. They live together as male and female but also live with six red pandas. The space was created to provide comfort for the pandas but to not have the exhibit so big that the panda species would not be able to interact. In each inside room there is “deep litter” which is a type of mulch to provide a clean inside for the pandas to live in.^[8]

The landscape of the exhibit was designed to mirror the native home of the two pandas, China. The giant panda exhibit is over 3,000 square metres and gives the pandas the options such as moving outside to lay on cool rocks or to bath in waterfalls. The two pandas that the Adelaide Zoo in Australia holds also have the option of staying inside in either air conditioned rooms or in more natural caves to provide comfort for the pandas. The exhibit also has new 24-hour closed circuit television to observe the pandas and how they interact with one another as well as other species in the exhibit. There is also a public viewing terrace under a bamboo canopy to accommodate the crowds but also to manage the privacy of the pandas. The zoo has specialist keepers just for the pandas as well as vets on hand at the zoo to make sure the pandas are well taken care of and protected.^[9]

Asia

In Asian Zoos, a diet of mostly gruel and bread is fed to pandas. In an experiment on how nutritious the pandas' diet in Chinese zoos is, two 5 day feeding trials were conducted. The pandas were both different age. The younger panda ate more bamboo than the older panda did. Gruel, however, can cause problems for the panda’s digestive system. The diets of pandas in captivity do not consist of enough bamboo, which can be harmful to their wellbeing.^[10]

In a study done on pandas in China to test for brominated flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochloride pesticides in the giant panda’s tissues, results stated that chemicals such as PCB and PBDE were found in the panda’s tissues. Factors that contribute to the chemicals found in the tissues of pandas are diet and inhalation of polluted air. In February 2014, at China’s Zhengzhou Zoo, a 7-year-old female panda named Jin Yi died. Torture allegations were denied by Zoo officials.^[11]

North America

Zoo Atlanta has several giant pandas being loaned from China. The loan fee that the zoo pays goes towards the conservation of giant pandas. The zoo itself has given over ten million dollars for giant panda conservation. Their projects include infrastructure, research, and management.^[12]

At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, zoo keepers play with giant pandas and switch up their routine. They provide honey, apples, and leaf-eater biscuits inside of the panda toys. The toys are usually made of plastic, rubber, and bamboo to ensure that the pandas don’t break the toys too easily. They let the giant pandas play with water bottles, burlap bags, blankets, boxes, and fruitsicles- frozen fruit juice and water with cut up fruit inside. The exhibit itself includes a room with a waterfall and rocky outcrop, a den, and several sustainable design features. There are green roofs, a solar hot water system, and natural material for the visitor paths. Not only is the exhibit sustainable, but it also creates an environment that allows for the pandas to stay at a cool temperature when it is hot outside while providing areas for privacy. Short trees, shrubs, pools, and streams, allow them to stay comfortable at all times.^[13]

The Chapultepec Zoo (Zoológico de Chapultepec) is one of the four zoos of Mexico city, and it is especially famous for its success in giant panda breeding; in 1980 Chapultepec Zoo became the first institution outside of China to successfully breed the previously endangered species in captivity. In total there have been eight live births at the zoo. The most famous panda to have lived at the zoo is Tohui. Currently two female giant pandas live at the zoo: Shuan Shuan and Xin Xin.

The pandas at Chapultepec are special in that China does not have ownership.The original pair were given to Mexico and subsequent pandas have all been born prior to the change in policy from gifting to loaning. Zoo officials have also come to an agreement with China that any new offspring born at Chapultepec will belong to China, however these pandas will be allowed to stay at the zoo (in contrast to other institutions, where offspring have to be returned to China after reaching five years of age).

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