USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
POV the other zoo that gets pandas is Detroit or Toledo , I would genuinely be disappointed since that means a lack of new habitats.
The 4° giant panda zoo?
- Thread starter Panda_Fan
- Start date
Atlanta should probably get some again. Midwest is very tricky as a lot of our zoos are fairly space-locked. Saint Louis I think actually has one of the stronger chances as they have the WildCare Park upcoming, room to expand on the former hospital site, and plans to turn Red Rocks into an Asian exhibit.
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
It hasn't been formally announced, but included in a framework plan some years ago. I don't imagine we'll see much of this move until the WildCare Park is completed though.
BearMinimum
Active Member
I truly hope Atlanta gets more and I'd like to remain optimistic. Interest in a future pair has been expressed to the media by the zoo's president, and when I did a Panda Encounter in February 2024 we were told the zoo had "done everything they needed to do" to begin negotiations, and that essentially they were just awaiting response from Chengdu. We were also told they are on great terms with Chengdu and that both parties wish to continue collaborating.
This is more speculative, but their current public statement on the future of the program is that they have no information to share — to me, that implies there are at least ongoing attempts to continue the program, which would be supported by the statements of the president as well as the panda care staff I spoke with personally. If they were outright not interested in doing so then I feel they would not use such ambiguous wording. They also made some minor renovations to the dayrooms within the last year or so, which I don't know if they would have done knowing the program's end was certainly on the horizon.
Only time will tell, but given Zoo Atlanta's forward expression of interest, the success of program, their existing resources (not just habitats but staff & expansive backstage facilities [including an additional off-exhibit outdoor habitat/bamboo yard]), and their established relationship with Chengdu Panda Base make them reasonably strong candidates for a new pair, and likely makes them preferential to an unproven facility. The question really comes down to Chengdu's willingness to send more bears and Atlanta's willingness to invest, neither of which are beyond the realm of possibility.
Extensive renovations would most likely still be needed to suit a different species, and I'm honestly not sure what other species would be appropriate for that location of the zoo that A. could fit the scale of the facilities and B. isn't already in the zoo's collection. The panda habitats are a little isolated from the rest of the collection in a way that says, "this is the highlight of the zoo". A replacement species would need to fill that same role to avoid seeming out of place. As a local, though, Zoo Atlanta is synonymous with giant pandas. It would be a very hard role to fill.
This is more speculative, but their current public statement on the future of the program is that they have no information to share — to me, that implies there are at least ongoing attempts to continue the program, which would be supported by the statements of the president as well as the panda care staff I spoke with personally. If they were outright not interested in doing so then I feel they would not use such ambiguous wording. They also made some minor renovations to the dayrooms within the last year or so, which I don't know if they would have done knowing the program's end was certainly on the horizon.
Only time will tell, but given Zoo Atlanta's forward expression of interest, the success of program, their existing resources (not just habitats but staff & expansive backstage facilities [including an additional off-exhibit outdoor habitat/bamboo yard]), and their established relationship with Chengdu Panda Base make them reasonably strong candidates for a new pair, and likely makes them preferential to an unproven facility. The question really comes down to Chengdu's willingness to send more bears and Atlanta's willingness to invest, neither of which are beyond the realm of possibility.
Extensive renovations would most likely still be needed to suit a different species, and I'm honestly not sure what other species would be appropriate for that location of the zoo that A. could fit the scale of the facilities and B. isn't already in the zoo's collection. The panda habitats are a little isolated from the rest of the collection in a way that says, "this is the highlight of the zoo". A replacement species would need to fill that same role to avoid seeming out of place. As a local, though, Zoo Atlanta is synonymous with giant pandas. It would be a very hard role to fill.
Brayden Delashmutt
Well-Known Member
Omaha has considered it in the past, but as for right now it's definitely not happening lol
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
Now that San Francisco is out of the picture, what do we expect? I am thinking we will see Atlanta get a new pair and a wild card facility. I am still hoping for a mid-western or Texas zoo gets them like Houston, Columbus, or Omaha.
If another zoo ends up getting giant pandas, it'll be a "dark horse" zoo with the capital and space to house giant pandas. Something like Zoo Atlanta or Memphis Zoo, where they already have a well-rounded collection, but pandas would seal the deal.
For example, Columbus Zoo planned for giant pandas while constructing their Asia Quest precinct but ended up using that space for sun bears (and now sloth bears). Similarly, Oakland Zoo built an exhibit for giant pandas before that fell through, with that space utilized (quite wisely) by their ever-growing troop of Hamadryas baboons. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo almost got pandas (with the site eventually being utilized for the new giraffe herd rooms in African Grasslands) before that deal fell through at the last minute.
We can also rule out any WCS zoo getting giant pandas, given their expense; as Jim Breheny stated in an article a long while ago, "Building and maintenance of a panda exhibit would be an on-going effort that would require tens of millions of dollars up front and annual support monies for pandas for however long they would be in NY… Any agreement to exhibit pandas would have to come with a guarantee of provision for the necessary funds."
The secondary issue with building a giant panda exhibit is you're really building two exhibits for the price of one (or even three in National's case), with a yard for the male, a yard for the female, and two indoor spaces for each. Adelaide's a good example as far as a distillation of that concept, as shown here:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...-plan-of-the-Giant-Panda-exhibit-redesign.png
Theoretically, Disney's Animal Kingdom *could* get pandas, seeing as they have the capital and the parent company has ties with the Chinese government - the issue is where they'd be placed. Columbus is another option as far as having the space within Asia Quest (you could honestly replace the current set of tiger cages across from the main Amur tiger exhibit with giant pandas or construct a giant panda exhibit across from the red pandas, though realistically, that may just become even more space for their Asian elephant herd.
Like I said, I'd see a dark horse zoo getting giant pandas more than anything after San Diego and National.
Thinking about it now, I'd say a couple specific "dark horse" zoos could theoretically get pandas.
- Columbus - Columbus initially tried to get pandas when Asia Quest was under construction, with that space eventually being utilized for sun bears and sloth bears. Columbus also has a history with pandas, hosting two giant pandas on loan for four months from China in 1992, named Xing Xing and Qin Qin.
- Omaha - Omaha has the capital for pandas, though the prospects aren't so likely.
- "A six-year pursuit between 2001 and 2007 put the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium alone at the top of the list to receive a pair of giant pandas from China. Everything was in place. An exhibit had been designed, planned for just east of the Lied Jungle, and about $55 million was committed by the zoo’s benefactors. Chinese diplomats and scientists visited the zoo, Nebraska politicians visited China, money was sent to support giant pandas in the wild, and all kinds of concessions were made to keep Chinese panda power players appeased. Then the deal fell apart..." (from dataomaha.com, the link doesn't work anymore but the article itself was genuinely fascinating.)
- Cincinnati - Cincinnati has a history of hosting pandas, including one named Chia Chia, who was there from September 1988 until November 1988, when he was sent to Mexico City.
- Brookfield - Brookfield had the first panda in a US Zoo, a female named Su Lin. They've had subsequent pandas (Mei Mei and Mei Lan), and while I do think they have the history to justify having pandas again, their money's better spent on fixing up Tropic World and getting elephants back.
- Lincoln Park - Lincoln Park is another dark horse if Brookfield's not an option, I know the Camel and Zebra area's been rumored for redevelopment for a while, but like Brookfield, Lincoln Park's money is better spent elsewhere.
- North Carolina - This is the biggest dark horse I can think of. North Carolina has the land, they have the state support (bipartisan support too, which is pleasant to hear about), and they have the prestige. I could see them doing an additional expansion to Asia further down the line, but this would be years after they finish up Australia, the new Forest Aviary and South America.
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