The Guardian, Sky News 4 news, Edinburgh Zoo may have to send the UK’s only pair of giant pandas back to China due to the financial pressure caused by the new pneumonia (Chinese Communist virus) epidemic.
According to reports, the British pandas “Sweetness” and “Sunshine” were leased to Edinburgh Zoo in December 2011 for a 10-year contract, and are the only two pandas in the UK. David Field, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, said the epidemic caused the zoo to close for three months, with cumulative losses of 2 million pounds (about 17.75 million yuan). The agency will have to “carefully consider every potential saving,” including the giant panda contract, which is leased for 1 million pounds a year (about 8.87 million yuan). Although the zoo has reopened, restrictions on the number of visitors and social distance will continue for some time, which means less revenue for the park.
Fielder added: “At this stage, it is too early to say what the outcome will be. In the coming months, we will be discussing the next steps with our Chinese colleagues. Over the past nine years, ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Sweetie’ have impressed our visitors and helped millions of people get in touch with nature and spark their interest in wildlife conservation. I hope they will stay with us for many more years, which is certainly my goal at the moment.”
It’s not just the Edinburgh Zoo in the UK; in late November 2020, the Calgary Zoo in Canada had sent giant pandas back to China because they couldn’t provide enough bamboo. After the outbreak of the new epidemic, the international transport industry was affected, and the zoo had difficulty in obtaining fresh and sufficient bamboo, and the two pandas had to return home early.
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