Giant Panda Becomming More Popular?

Quartz92

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I want to make a forum to gather all the zoos which have and are planning to build exhibit for the giant panda. I have reconized that zoos want them all over the place now, but why?

I do know the Toronto Zoo is looking for them!
 
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As far as I know outside of China

currently with pandas:
San Diego - US
Smithsonian,D.C. - US
Atlanta - US
Madrid - Spain
Vienna - Austria
Berlin - Germany
Memphis - US
TaiPei - Taiwan

looking to get pandas:
Edinburgh - Scotland
Adelaide - Australia
Oakland - US
 
Omaha and Albuquerque were also interested in having Giant Pandas recently...but those pandas are going to Oakland instead.
 
That is a great list Jimmy! I think that Oakland, Edinburgh and Adelaide all expect giant pandas by the end of 2009, which is tremendously exciting for those three cities.
 
As far as I know outside of China

currently with pandas:
San Diego - US
Smithsonian,D.C. - US
Atlanta - US
Madrid - Spain
Vienna - Austria
Berlin - Germany
Memphis - US
TaiPei - Taiwan

looking to get pandas:
Edinburgh - Scotland
Adelaide - Australia
Oakland - US

APPARENTLY YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING PLACES:
1. Parque Zoologico de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico - original pair of the giant pandas came there yet in 1975 !!!!! The first zoo outside China in which the giant panda was born, in August 1980. At the moment there are probably 3 females.
2. Chiang Mai Zoological Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand - the pair of the giant pandas are there since 2003. As yet they did not have a baby.
3. Kobe Oji Zoo, Kobe, Japan - original pair of the giant pandas came to Kobe Oji Zoo in 2000. The baby was born in August 2008 but lived only 1 day.
4. Shirahama Adventure World, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan - the original pair of the giant pandas came there in 1997. Ever since there were 8 babies born, all survived, including three times twins !!!!! The most prolific giant panda group outside China. And at the moment also the biggest giant panda group outside China - 7 specimens !!!!
 
4. Shirahama Adventure World, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan - the original pair of the giant pandas came there in 1997. Ever since there were 8 babies born, all survived, including three times twins !!!!! The most prolific giant panda group outside China. And at the moment also the biggest giant panda group outside China - 7 specimens !!!!

Cool, I learned something today! I always thought that San Diego Zoo had the most prolific group outside of China and I also thought that SD had the most pandas outside china.
 
The Chinese Panda Breeding Centres are now producing large numbers of young annually . Finding homes for these and getting large sums of money from the participating foreign collections seems good business to cynical me !
 
Oakland zoo? in CA? realy? but it is a small zoo .....i am shocked.....

I'm sure its bigger than Adelaide;)

The Chinese prime minister is in the UK for a 3 day visit, hopefully talks will take place on the pandas destined for Edinburgh and maybe move things along a bit.
Gordon Brown has written a letter of support to the RZSS, hopefully now he can bring things forward.
 
The Chinese Panda Breeding Centres are now producing large numbers of young annually . Finding homes for these and getting large sums of money from the participating foreign collections seems good business to cynical me !

Certainly is, seems that china our a little blinded and are neglecting some other species, maybe because they don't bring in ££?
 
@drzoomi: I think that the Oakland Zoo's giant panda exhibit is just about complete, and they will become the 5th zoo in the U.S. to showcase the world's most popular zoo animal.

@kiang: good point about the Adelaide Zoo. It is indeed small, with the total grounds being on 8 hectares (20 acres). However, they have their giant panda exhibit under construction and expect the black-and-white bears by December at the latest.
 
When yothe list, you also forgot Toronto Zoo, there looking at the moment but the fed's are being stubborn
 
There is nothing about it on their website.....and i don't know...it's just wierd that a small zoo like Oakland zoo can get the money for it.
it looks natural to me that Toronto zoo will have panadas...:)
 
There is nothing about it on their website.....and i don't know...it's just wierd that a small zoo like Oakland zoo can get the money for it.

Its not that weird considering that the zoo is growing. They will be adding a multi-million dollar California exhibit feating animals from California. It will include Jaguars:D That exhibit along with the pandas and already one of the best elephant and sun bear habitats will make this zoo become a real contender to other notable zoos across the country.
 
Don't bank on pandas in Oakland. Omaha was "a sure thing" for several years too, but the China politics are..sorry...inscrutable. And the city of Oakland is one step beyond broke.

Wild California has been talked about for more than 20 years too....I'll believe it when I see it

Maybe because it is in my "backyard," but I am wholly unimpressed with the Oakland Zoo, except that they have accomplished a fair amount with limited resources. Yes, the lion, elephant and sun bear exhibits are big. But they are also unimaginative, ugly and poorly interpreted. The Childrens' Zoo is awful, as is the African "village."

The zoo sits on an amazing piece of land, and the climate is benign. But I challenge anyone who has visited to tell me that the zoo has in any way lived up to the potential these advantages should have conveyed it.
 
Don't bank on pandas in Oakland. Omaha was "a sure thing" for several years too, but the China politics are..sorry...inscrutable. And the city of Oakland is one step beyond broke.

Wild California has been talked about for more than 20 years too....I'll believe it when I see it

Maybe because it is in my "backyard," but I am wholly unimpressed with the Oakland Zoo, except that they have accomplished a fair amount with limited resources. Yes, the lion, elephant and sun bear exhibits are big. But they are also unimaginative, ugly and poorly interpreted. The Childrens' Zoo is awful, as is the African "village."

The zoo sits on an amazing piece of land, and the climate is benign. But I challenge anyone who has visited to tell me that the zoo has in any way lived up to the potential these advantages should have conveyed it.


i dont agree with you. those exhibits are not bad at all. i think that they are not the typical american exhibits - which is good!
their childrens zoo is not bad at all and there are alot of good exhibits.
its just hard for me to belive that such a small zoo will have the money to get panadas......
 
I want to make a forum to gather all the zoos which have and are planning to build exhibit for the giant panda. I have reconized that zoos want them all over the place now, but why?

I do know the Toronto Zoo is looking for them!

Hi "Quartz92" - where are you ??? You started this thread and you've gotten many answers and comments - did you read them? Unfortunately your main subject "giant pandas" was lost somewhere and now it seems that this is gonna to be a debate on Oakland Zoo or Oakland Zoo vs Adelaide Zoo online competition. Perhaps we should go back to giant pandas????
 
To answer Quartz92's orginal question why major zoos want Giant Pandas:

1. Especially cubs are popular crowd pleasers; see recently Fu Long in Vienna or Tai Shan in Washington DC. However, like in most species, presentation is the key; nowadays, good ol' Bao Bao in Berlin in his old glas cube is often neglected by zoo visitors on their search for Knut...
2. The species is still kind of a status symbol for zoos; every zoo that can afford Giant Pandas is automatically one of "the big guys" in the international zoo community.
3. It's big business, even though zoos might spend more than earn
Panda's Inc. - National Geographic Magazine
4. It's no longer that hard to get Giant Pandas (at least on the paper); breeding centres in China "produce" several cubs a year, and the Chinese authorities do appretiate how precious their national animal is.
 
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