Giant pandas are unlikely to come to Washington state
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
While China has suggested it may soon send more giant pandas to the U.S., they're unlikely to come to a zoo in the Seattle area.
Driving the news: Officials at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma told Axios they have no plans to host any of the rare animals, citing the cost and space they require.
Why it matters: Pandas are big tourist draws, and even skeptical zoo administrators acknowledge they have a "high quotient of cute." But they can be a pricey proposition.
- With the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. returning its three giant pandas to China earlier this month, just four bears remain at Zoo Atlanta, but they're also heading back to China next year.
What they're saying: "Pandas are very expensive and we do not have space to care for them," Whitney DalBalcon, a spokesperson for Point Defiance Zoo, told Axios.
- Besides the cost of building a new facility to house the animals, DalBalcon cited the annual fees to the Chinese government to host them, hiring extra staff to care for them, and meeting their dietary needs.
- Similarly, Woodland Park Zoo officials said in a statement that giant pandas are "not in any of the zoo's current near-term plans."
- "We understand it would be an investment of tens of millions of dollars," wrote Gigi Allianic, a spokesperson for Woodland Park Zoo, in an email to Axios.
Between the lines: To host a panda, a U.S. zoo must pay the Chinese government fees of up to $1 million per animal per year, usually for a lease of 10 years or more. The money helps pay for panda conservation efforts.
- Zoos have reported losing money hosting the animals — not just because of the rental costs, but also to keep them supplied with enough bamboo, which makes up most of their diet.
- A giant panda can eat as much as 84 pounds of bamboo per day, the World Wildlife Fund says.
Woodland Park Zoo is focused on "other species and conservation efforts," such as "tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea and local wildlife in the Pacific Northwest," Allianic wrote.
What we're watching: Ron Chow, a businessman who co-chairs a group called the Washington State Panda Foundation, has been working to get pandas to Western Washington for several years.
- He told Axios that those efforts are still underway, despite the local zoos' lack of enthusiasm.
- Chow said he thinks private fundraising could potentially help the zoos afford the animals.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that four pandas still remain in Atlanta until next year.