Wellington Zoo pandas for New Zealand?

Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton....and now Napier is getting in on the panda-grab (both the following items were released on 13 July 2010):
Napier man proposes 'Pandaland' | Stuff.co.nz
Napier is trying to muscle in on Wellington's efforts to get two endangered Chinese giant pandas.

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast discussed bringing the pandas to the capital when she met the Beijing mayor in China last month. Now Napier is investigating whether it could get the pandas as star attractions at a remodelled Marineland on the waterfront.

Napier's panda vision comes from local Max Patmoy, of the Ahuriri Rotary Club, who believes they would be the perfect animal to replace the Marineland dolphins, the last of which died in 2008, forcing the facility to close.

He said it could be renamed Pandaland and feature a Chinese teahouse, sunken gardens and a giant audio-visual display with live feeds of the pandas' antics.

Funding for the project would come from a charitable trust to which the public could donate money. They would be repaid, without interest, from the profits generated by Pandaland visitors.

Talks to bring the pandas to New Zealand are under way between the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry and its Chinese counterpart, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key confirmed.

Pandas are leased by the Chinese to zoos around the world at a cost of about $1.4 million a year for a pair.

Auckland Zoo may also want the pandas but is likely to lose out because it turned up its nose at Mr Key's offer to broker a panda deal with China.

Napier's Rotary clubs united to help build the city's $4 million waterfront pathway, and Mr Patmoy believes they could do the same for the pandas. "And I am sure Napier would get behind it ... It is better than just plonking them in a zoo in Wellington or Auckland where they would just be a cash cow."

National's Napier MP Chris Tremain told Mr Patmoy in an email that he "will ask the PM to get a feel for where his thinking is at".

Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott would discuss the idea with councillors tomorrow. "It is kind of a wild idea but sometimes wild ideas come to fruition ... If China and John Key think pandas would be happy here, then we'd certainly look at it."
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Nash Urges Key To Consider Napier For Pandas | Voxy.co.nz
Labour's Napier-based MP Stuart Nash has written to Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key, urging him to champion Napier if the city is a suitable home for two endangered giant pandas that may be on offer from China.

"Obviously, we don't know whether the pandas would enjoy living here, but on the face of it the former Marineland facility offers a wonderful opportunity to house them," Stuart Nash said.

"Marineland is a significant facility, but it has not been in use since the death of the dolphins.

"Converting the marine zoo into a panda enclosure would be a great use of the facility, as well as a real tourist attraction," Stuart Nash said.

"I have no doubt this could be as big as the dolphins. Everyone who visited Napier in the past remembers going to Marineland and seeing the dolphins. The endangered pandas would be magnificent as an iconic replacement."

Stuart Nash said: "If the pandas could come here, they would certainly fit with my articulated vision for Napier and the Marine Parade.

"We need to find an economic solution to divert the trucks heading to the Port, and return the Marine Parade into the iconic Napier tourism and seaside boulevard that it once was. Then we will be on the way to Napier being the best tourist destination in the country."

Stuart Nash said he is awaiting a reply from Mr Key, but will pursue the opportunity vigorously with the Prime Minister.
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"And I am sure Napier would get behind it ... It is better than just plonking them in a zoo in Wellington or Auckland where they would just be a cash cow."

Great insights from the Rotary Club there... If anything they'd be a cash cow in Napier in a glorified sideshow from what they seem to be proposing.

I'd much prefer them to presented in the context of a serious conservation and education focused zoo than in some kind of panda theme park.
 
Next thing you know Otorohanga council will probably join in!

LOL

:p

Hix
 
Pandas not the 'right tourist lure' - national | Stuff.co.nz
20 July 2010 - Housing giant pandas in Napier's defunct Marineland is not the answer to the city's tourism problems, mayor Barbara Arnott says.

Napier City Council is coming under increasing pressure from residents to rejuvenate the 45-year-old Marineland to attract tourists. The latest suggestion is to house giant pandas from China.

Prime Minister John Key had suggested New Zealand might be interested in brokering a deal for a pair with China.

Marineland was closed early last year, about 12 months after its last performing dolphins died and visitor numbers dropped by half. In its heyday, it attracted 200,000 visitors a year.

Tourism-reliant businesses were urging the council to make a decision on the facility, and about 180 submissions on the subject were lodged during this year's annual plan process.

Napier resident and Ahuriri Rotary Club member Max Patmoy said pandas would be the perfect animal to replace the dolphins.

But Mrs Arnott said the bears would be expensive to keep, requiring specialist staff and access to zoo veterinarians. "We're not set up, and it would not make money."

Pandas were reportedly leased out by China at about $1.4 million a year for a pair. It was "clearly in New Zealand's best interests to have the pandas in Auckland or Wellington", she said.

If neither of those cities wanted the bears, then Napier would put up its hand, but central government would have to help pay for them.

"It would need to be heavily subsidised. I don't think having the pandas here would be any kind of cash cow. Mr Patmoy may be right in that the money to set them up here could be raised, but the operational cost will also be huge."

The panda proposal was one of several the council had considered for Marineland over the past few years as it became obvious a revamp was necessary.

Last week a dive operator addressed a council meeting and offered to lease the facility for his business. The pools would be ideal for a dive school, he said.

Mrs Arnott said though the council had not ruled out such a business deal, she wanted to find an attraction "with a wow factor that will attract tourists".

Council had $1 million seed money put away and was prepared to spend money on the right thing, but had not yet found it.

"The loss of [Marineland] has affected many other businesses and attractions in Napier, particularly along that foreshore stretch. We have to find the right thing."

Marineland was now being used as a holding facility for the last 50 or so animals, including penguins and seals, at a cost of $600,000 a year.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council was keen to have pandas housed in the city's zoo, but it was leaving any negotiations to the Government.

A Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry spokeswoman said it was too early to discuss where any pandas might be housed.

"Discussions [with China] are ongoing and it's expected to be a very long process."
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John Key seems to have cottoned on to the fact that there are such issues as biosecurity etc to deal with before pandas can be brought in....

Talks held on bringing two pandas from China | Stuff.co.nz
10/08/2010
Officials have held talks on bringing a pair of Chinese pandas to New Zealand but early results are unlikely, Prime Minister John Key says.

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast suggested bringing two bears to the capital when she met the Beijing mayor in China earlier this year. The giant pandas could be exchanged for a pair of kiwi.

Mr Key discussed the idea with China's Premier, Wen Jiabao, on his trip to Beijing last month.

Now representatives from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Environmental Risk Management Authority, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's biosecurity division, as well as others from the Internal Affairs Department and Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry are considering requirements.

Mr Key said the Government was keen to understand exactly what was involved, but a similar swap in other countries had taken several years.

"There are complex requirements to be met under the [Hazardous Substances and New Organisms] Act and Biosecurity Act. Issues such as funding and possible locations will need to be addressed.

"We would also need to meet any particular requirements from the Chinese authorities," Mr Key said.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry was following up the idea with the appropriate agencies in China.

"At this stage the focus is primarily on the acquisition of the pandas. The feasibility of offering some kiwis in return will also be looked at in due course," Mr Key said.

Auckland Zoo and Rotary Club members in Napier also expressed an interest in acquiring pandas.
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hasn't been anything on the pandas for a while but its still hanging around.....and now Orana Park is getting in on the act
Giant pandas for New Zealand | Stuff.co.nz
01/12/2010
New Zealand's bid to host a breeding pair of giant pandas has moved up a gear, with the Government indicating it will help with funding.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key said it would cost about $1.29 million a year to lease the bears from the Chinese Government, which would ultimately decide whether pandas came to this country.

The pandas could be located at Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or Christchurch zoos.

Overseas experience suggests pandas would increase a zoo's revenue by 70 per cent but it could have to find millions of dollars to build infrastructure for them.

It cost Adelaide Zoo $10.3m for a panda enclosure with refrigerated rocks to keep the bears cool during the hot Aussie summers. They would not be needed in Wellington.

Wellington Zoo chief executive Karen Fifield has yet to crunch the numbers to see if pandas would attract enough visitors to make economic sense.

"We think it's good for New Zealand and a good thing for Wellington and we are looking at this seriously. What it is going to come down to is the money ... the return on investment."

But giant pandas pushed all the right buttons, she said. "They're iconic animals and there's only 1500 of them left. They are one of the rarest animals on the planet."

Pandas like to eat – a lot. In one day they can consume up to 40 kilograms of bamboo shoots, which would need to be grown in Wellington. "The New Zealand Bamboo Society is located in Wellington ... and we have a relationship with them because we feed our red pandas bamboo," Ms Fifield said.

Residents could also end up growing bamboo for the bears. In Australia, people grew eucalyptus for koalas.

Hamilton Zoo director Dr Stephen Standley said it was too soon to say what Hamilton's response would be, and he was still to prepare a report for the mayor and the council outlining possible options.

"At the moment we have received a background information pack to see if we are interested in hosting the pandas, and giving an idea of costings," Dr Standley said.

Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Trust's spokesman Nathan Hawke said the park had asked for more information about the giant pandas from the Department of Internal Affairs.

"This has just recently been received and is being reviewed by staff,'' said Hawke.

The Government required a response by the middle of January.

Adelaide Zoo chief executive Chris West gave a presentation to Wellington City Council and Government representatives in September to provide an overview of his zoo's panda experience.

It took Adelaide 2 1/2 years from the start of discussions with China to acquire its pandas. It has had a 70 per cent increase in revenue since its pandas arrived about a year ago.
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I was just thinking this morning there hadn't been anything about the pandas in the news for a while, and then this appeared:
Wellington Zoo eyes snow leopards | Stuff.co.nz
12 May 2011

Government plans that could have brought two giant pandas to Wellington Zoo have been shelved but a pair of critically endangered snow leopards could come to the capital instead.

They would be the only snow leopards in the country – there are no more than 7000 surviving in the wild. The zoo believes they would be a major drawcard that would increase zoo attendance.

But zoo chief executive Karen Fifield said there was more to it than just boosting visitor numbers. "It is also about what animals are contextually right for the [Asian] precinct in the zoo...

"We also consider the conservation value and they are critically endangered animals – both giant pandas and snow leopards."

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key said a decision to defer the acquisition of giant pandas was made earlier this year.

"The significant financial implications of a number of disasters, the most recent being the second Christchurch earthquake, meant the Government needed to reprioritise any spending that it could.

"While we are still keen to secure a pair of pandas for a New Zealand zoo, it will have to wait until the economic situation improves."

The Government had not spent any money on initial moves to broker a panda deal, the spokeswoman said. It would cost about $1.29 million a year to lease the bears from the Chinese Government, which would have ultimately decided whether to send pandas here.

The Government had indicated it would help with funding.

Ms Fifield was disappointed that the giant panda acquisition was on hold but agreed with the decision as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes.

"But the Government said giant pandas aren't off the agenda entirely and we don't want to go down the snow leopard track and then have giant pandas come back on the agenda.

"It is a fine line we walk but I would say snow leopards are in the mix when it comes to our collection options ... but there is nothing in concrete."

If leopards were acquired by the zoo they would be housed in the sun bear enclosure, which would become vacant when the bears moved to a new enclosure in March next year.

"We would have to start seriously considering what we do at this time next year," Ms Fifield said.

The Dominion Post revealed 11 months ago that talks to bring a pair of pandas to the country were underway between the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry and its Chinese counterpart.

Mr Key called for expressions of interest from zoos, which put Wellington in a four-way race with Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch.
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I remember back when Wellington Zoo kept and bred snow leopards in the 1980s, in the small cages that now hold servals (I got to hold one of the snow leopard cubs :)). It will be nice to see the species back in NZ again after so long, but they're not quite the same gate-turner that giant pandas are.
 
NZ Panda Update

Pandas not on NZ-China agenda

Story here: Pandas not on NZ-China agenda | Stuff.co.nz

Prime Minister John Key has left the door of the cage open to a deal under which giant pandas would be lent to a New Zealand zoo, but says they will not be on the agenda during his four-day visit to China this month.

He raised the possibility in 2010, after a visit to China, but Key quietly shelved the idea in March 2011, pointing to "higher priorities" for public spending after the Christchurch earthquakes. The hope at the time was to possibly resuscitate the plan in 2013, but it appears to now be on the backburner.

Key said today New Zealand's economic situation had improved and the $1 million-plus price tag was no longer an obstacle.

"Yes ... we can afford a panda; in fact, we can afford two and the bamboo they eat," he said.

"But it takes time. ... Yes, it's a possibility, probably not on this particular visit."

In 2010 the pandas appeared headed for Wellington Zoo in what was briefly expected to be a "pandas for kiwis" swap to lower the cost.

But the plan was dropped without any public fanfare after the most damaging Christchurch earthquake in February 2011.

Emails released under the Official Information Act show the head of the Department of Prime Minister, Maarten Wevers, advised after a short conversation with Key "the panda project will be put in abeyance for a while – much more important priorities for the public purse at the moment".

"I suspect the file might get dusted off again in the future."

The New Zealand embassy in Beijing "will let the panda folk in China know that we remain interested, just not for the time being".

The annual cost of leasing a pair of pandas from China was put at $1.4m, but the costs of feeding them and building facilities to house them would also be considerable.

The Adelaide Zoo reportedly paid more than $10m for its panda enclosure.

However, zoos can expect a big lift in revenues, with Adelaide Zoo's visitor numbers jumping 70 per cent in the six months after its pair of pandas arrived.

Auckland Zoo was offered first dibs on the two giant pandas that Key hoped to rent from the Chinese Government, but the zoo declined.

That had left Wellington in the box seat.
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driftaguy said:
Why would Auckland Zoo decline?
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I guess they don't really have the space for a massive panda exhibit area? And maybe wanted to focus their efforts on elephants (not that that seems to be working particularly well).

In terms of other zoos who could get them, personally I think Wellington would be best, but I'm not sure exactly where they would go, possibly where the tiger enclosures are? There is spare space behind that area that could be used.

Orana and Hamilton both have the space, but not really the finances or visitors to support pandas, and I don't think there are any other options that should be considered.
 
Panda diplomacy not Key's agenda | Stuff.co.nz
12 November 2014

Bronagh Key and a baby panda named Xing Yu (Star Words) stole the show today at the giant panda breeding park in Chengdu while her husband was off opening a new consulate in the city.

After the 10-minute cuddle, the prime minister's wife said she would like to take one home, although her cat might not be so keen.

"Moonbeam wouldn't like it."

Earlier John Key ruled out a move to get pandas to New Zealand, something he raised via a swap with kiwi some years ago.

It might be possible if New Zealand called in a favour with the Chinese, he said, although he didn't say what that might be.

They were "nice to have", but the issue was not so much whether New Zealand was prepared to pay to get the pandas.

"It's actually getting up the queue to get them, there's just so much international demand."

They were a million dollars each, before ongoing costs. Leases were for 10 years, and the money was used to support the pandas and the breeding process.

"They would be a great addition. Zoos like Wellington have indicated they'd love to have them, but the real issue here is not the cost nowadays ... It's whether we can get actually access to them now.

"Yes, of course, if we really called in a favour I'm sure we could move ourselves up the queue, but we've probably got bigger fish to fry in China than that."

A lot of countries wanted them, but there were few pandas and they were slow breeders.

"I have no doubt that at some point New Zealand could get two pandas if we wanted to. I personally think that'd be a great thing, but you have to be realistic - it's not going to happen overnight."

In places that had pandas, they had been huge generators of tourist dollars.

He said it was not his number one priority, which was why he was spending time opening the consulate and on the economic activities. He also said his wife was not there to make the first move in acquiring them for New Zealand.

"Is she a panda diplomat? No - it's just a great opportunity to see them."

Key said he had never seen a panda himself.

"Given the choice of my programme or hers, she's chosen hers today."
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I think its a good decision to not pursue pandas for NZ. The costs and politics involved are ridiculous, and unless the government totally footed the entire bill I think it would push any NZ zoo into financial crisis, as seen elsewhere.
 
Wellington City Council pushes for pandas at the zoo | NZNews | 3 News
20 Sept 2015

Wellington City Council is trying to move along the idea of acquiring giant pandas for the city's zoo.

Deputy Mayor Justin Lester says the Government has driven the panda initiative in the past and wrote to the council in 2011 to seek their interest.

"The Christchurch earthquakes stalled further traction at the time, but it's worthwhile looking at it again now," he said.

Mr Lester, who chairs the governance, finance and planning committee, says he's putting forward a proposal for the council to invest in a business case, as part of the annual plan, to investigate the financial viability of the project.

"I think Wellingtonians would love to have pandas at the zoo. There would be considerable conservation and economic benefits to Wellington," he said.

"We do know that Wellington has a suitable climate for pandas and also for growing their food source, bamboo.

"Wellington Zoo also has the staff knowledge to manage giant pandas."

There are about 1600 giant pandas left in the wild and 300 in zoos and breeding centres, mostly in China.

It would cost $10 million to create a home for the pandas at the zoo and $1.3 million a year to lease a pair from China, stuff.co.nz reports.

A pair of giant pandas at Adelaide Zoo increased visitor numbers by 70 percent but reportedly left the zoo with debt to manage.
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I wonder what the zoo would have to say....
 
Giant panda proposal hand delivered by Government minister
30 Sept 2015

A proposal to bring giant pandas to New Zealand will today be personally delivered to a breeding facility in China by defence minister Gerry Brownlee.

Prime Minister John Key is a big supporter of the plan to have the pandas at Wellington Zoo, and has pledged taxpayer money.

And the likelihood of securing the animals has now been given a boost with Mr Brownlee due to visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu this morning.

The defence minister is in China meeting with the People's Liberation Army.

"The primary purpose and vast majority of our visit is bilateral defence relations. Our hosts, the People's Liberation Army, booked us to visit the breeding facility while we are in Chengdu, as they are very proud of their pandas," a spokeswoman for Mr Brownlee said.

"This was also the site of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and they are showing us how they've rebuilt. The visit to the panda breeding facility was arranged by our hosts well before the recent publicity about Wellington City Council's proposal. However, as we're here we offered to hand over a document detailing the council proposal."

Earlier this month, Mr Key said he would be open to the possibility - which has been previously floated - about sending kiwi in return for pandas if it helped close or bring down the price of a deal.

As well as putting up taxpayer money, he could also talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping in an attempt to bring giant pandas here.

Speaking from New York today, where he is attending a United Nations General Assembly week with other world leaders, Mr Key said he had not yet had a chance to meet the Chinese President.

Pandas would not be his number one issue if a meeting did happen, but he was sure he would have the discussion at some point.

Mr Key said he was unaware Mr Brownlee was delivering the panda proposal.

"But in the end...there is nothing new in terms of the Government's perspective, which is we think it would be a nice thing for New Zealand to have, but ultimately what level of contribution we'd be willing to make and whether that's going to move us up the queue, I don't know.

"They [giant pandas] are popular and there is a lot of demand for them."

Mr Key said having a minister such as Mr Brownlee deliver the proposal could help, "but I have also spoken to them about it in the past and so far pandas haven't turned up".

Wellington City Council is to look at a business case for bringing the animals from China to Wellington Zoo, but one councillor who is opposed believes the project could cost up to $100 million.

If the council came up with a proposal the Government would likely commit funds to help out.

In 2010 Mr Key raised the possibility of a deal with China in which giant pandas would be lent to a New Zealand zoo, but the Christchurch earthquakes the following year put that project on the backburner.

Mr Key has said Wellington Zoo had in the past been keen on the idea, but Auckland was not interested.
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Key didn't know Brownlee was delivering panda proposal to China | Stuff.co.nz
30 Sept 2015

Prime Minister John Key was unaware one of his ministers was delivering a proposal to China for pandas at Wellington Zoo.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee is in China meeting with the People's Liberation Army and has travelled to Chengdu, China's panda breeding capital, where he is meeting with commanders and visiting a military base.

A spokeswoman from Brownlee's office confirmed the minister was visiting the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu on Wednesday morning where he would personally deliver the Wellington City Council proposal for pandas at the zoo.

"The primary purpose and vast majority of our visit is bilateral defence relations. Our hosts, the People's Liberation Army, booked us to visit the breeding facility while we are in Chengdu, as they are very proud of their pandas," the spokeswoman said.

"This was also the site of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and they are showing us how they've rebuilt. The visit to the panda breeding facility was arranged by our hosts well before the recent publicity about Wellington City Council's proposal. However, as we're here we offered to hand over a document detailing the council proposal."

Key, who is in New York at the United Nations General Assembly, said he didn't know Brownlee was delivering the proposal and it wasn't his number one issue.

He also had not yet raised the panda idea with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Not everyone at Wellington City Council is on board with the idea and councillor Paul Eagle has contacted chief executive Kevin Lavery demanding to know why councillors were not briefed on the move.

Eagle understood Brownlee delivered a letter from mayor Celia Wade-Brown and deputy mayor Justin Lester expressing the council's interest in bringing the animals to Wellington Zoo, but found the secrecy around the development "somewhat disgraceful".

Lester has said there was no point taking the idea to councillors or the public until the details of the plan were fully scoped and costed. But Eagle disagreed.

"That sounds okay but when you've got a minister involved and you've got the Prime Minister coming out saying he didn't know about it either, that reinforces the Mickey Mouse outfit around this.

"Any indication that they have given that we are a willing partner has come without any endorsement of Wellingtonians."

The substantial financial commitment - which could see rates or other council projects significantly impacted - of hosting Giant Pandas should warrant far more transparency than normal, Eagle said.

The Chengdu facility has already provided pandas for zoos around the world including Atlanta, Tokyo, Edinburgh, Toronto and Liverpool.
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Chlidonias said:
The Chengdu facility has already provided pandas for zoos around the world including Atlanta, Tokyo, Edinburgh, Toronto and Liverpool.
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Interesting.

With such hype about the idea a few years ago (and recently), it's hard to see why there's such openness to the media about secrecy regarding the execution of plans which everyone was aware of.
 
The latest in the Panda saga:

Bringing pandas to the capital would be "playing with fire", Wellington Zoo's chief executive says.

Official documents reveal chief executive Karen Fifield suggested snow leopards were a safer option after a meeting with the chief executive at Taronga Zoo in Sydney left her uncomfortable with acquiring pandas.

Wellington Zoo has been investigating the practicality of getting pandas for several years – a proposal that has the personal backing of Prime Minister John Key, who says the pandas would be a great tourism boost for the capital.

Last month it was revealed Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee had delivered a Wellington City Council proposal for pandas at the zoo to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu, when he travelled to China for defence-related matters.

But documents released under the Official Information Act show Fifield had concerns about the future of the zoo if it were to get pandas.

Fifield, in an email in March to Kaine Thompson, manager of the Wellington City Council's chief executive office, wrote that her meeting in Sydney had resulted in a conversation she didn't really want to hear.

"It was not a good story at all – without central government committing to lots of the ongoing costs, I think I am playing with fire with the zoo's future if we proceed."

She said Taronga was not pushing ahead with getting pandas because of the financial risk beyond the first 18 months.

"They did their own feasibility study and talked to all the US zoos which hold giant pandas. In fact San Diego Zoo tried to give theirs back to China due to ever-increasing costs, but China refused to take them," she wrote.

"Taronga predicts [capital expense] of $23m plus ... and they predict they would be $2m per annum in the red for [operating expense] beyond 18 months."

Fifield wrote that even baby pandas did not give the US zoos the visitor boost they expected.

In another email to Thompson the following day, she said: "I think we should stick to snow leopards myself, but if it does come off we could still house pandas near where the snow leopards might go."

Wellington Zoo has been pushing ahead with plans to get snow leopards from the Himalayas, providing it could secure $3m in funding.

It was hoped the animals could be on public display by September next year if everything went to plan.

The cost of bringing pandas to Wellington has been hotly debated and one city councillor, Paul Eagle, estimated it could cost $100m.

Key rubbished that estimate and has opened the door to taxpayer funding for the acquisition.

In a statement from his office, a spokeswoman said, "We haven't seen a proposal from Wellington council, but any Government contribution would be modest with the council needing to fund the bulk of the project".

But in an email to Fifield in November last year, Thompson said there was "no point doing it if [Key] is not committed to Wellington getting them and his Government paying for the bulk of it, including ongoing costs, eg bamboo provision".

Labour animal welfare spokesman Trevor Mallard said on Thursday: "The correspondence makes it very clear that the pandas have become John Key's pet project now that he's been prohibited from pulling pony tails, despite reservations from his chief of staff.

"Everyone likes pandas, but if having them comes at such a huge cost, then head should win out over heart."

According to official documents, the upper end cost estimates for the pandas include $200,000 for panda negotiations, $420,000 for investigations, $28m minimum for capital investment, $750,000 minimum for relocation, $1.27m annual costs, plus establishing a bamboo plantation for an unknown amount and unknown zoo operational costs.

Bringing pandas to Wellington could put the zoo in the red | Stuff.co.nz
 
Nisha said:
"They did their own feasibility study and talked to all the US zoos which hold giant pandas. In fact San Diego Zoo tried to give theirs back to China due to ever-increasing costs, but China refused to take them," she wrote.
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That's perhaps the most remarkable bit of information in this entire saga. As far as I know, SD is one of the most financially solid zoos in North America (perhaps the world) and they consistently try to portray themselves as the worlds best zoo (I don't agree entirely, but they're close). Personally I don't care much for giant pandas. Many do. The "worlds best zoo" without giant pandas? It's obviously difficult to judge the accuracy of secondhand information, but if the above is true: wow.

You'd think that the ever increasing number of captive giant pandas in China would result in a lower annual "rent" price. Evidently not.
 
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