Author｜Wang Yuanchao Editor｜Qi Fei
It is said that a quarter of the British people have a "tour to China" item on their life wish list, and watching giant pandas is one of the things they want to accomplish most. But due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, their wishes may be more difficult to achieve.
Due to the financial crisis, the UK Edinburgh Zoo is considering returning the UK's only pair of giant pandas to China in advance. British giant pandas "Tiantian" and "Sunshine" were born in 2003 and were leased to the zoo at the end of 2011, and the lease expires at the end of this year.
Sunshine and Sweet
However, the lockdown caused by the epidemic forced Edinburgh Zoo to close for three months last summer, resulting in a cumulative loss of 2 million (about 17.75 million yuan). Although the park hopes to continue raising the pair of giant pandas, they also bluntly stated that financial pressures are likely to prevent them from renewing their contracts.
Encountered the dual dilemma of the epidemic and Brexit
In January 2011, the China Wildlife Conservation Society and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland reached an agreement, and Tiantian and Sunshine were leased to Edinburgh Zoo together for a 10-year lease.
"Tiantian" and her partner "Sunshine" arrived in Edinburgh, UK by special plane in December of the same year. On the day of their arrival in the UK, the then First Deputy Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary of State Michael Moore went to greet them in person. Police cars cleared the way for them, and the people welcomed them. The Scottish Orchestra also presented a traditional military music performance.
According to regulations, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland pays China $1 million (about £810,000) a year as a rental fee, plus other expenses such as raising and breeding, and the total annual investment is about £2 million.
The Panda Claim Program on Edinburgh Zoo's website
The two pandas are well-loved by locals, and "Tiantian" won the BBC's "Female Face of the Year 2011" award. In the first year of "Panda Couple"'s arrival, the number of visitors to the zoo increased by 260,000 to 800,000, of which 500,000 visited the panda house. In the same year, the zoo's revenue increased by £5 million. In the face of huge economic benefits, rental and parenting costs are insignificant.
However, the Covid-19 outbreak forced Edinburgh Zoo to close for three months last summer, putting the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland under "enormous" financial pressure. The society is responsible for the operations of Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, which relies mainly on tourists for its revenue.
"Although our zoos have reopened, we lost around £2m last year," said David Field, the society's chief executive. "It is almost certain that travel restrictions, social distancing and restrictions on visitor numbers will Over time, this will also reduce our income."
As a result, the society had to seriously consider "every potential cost-saving measure", including the panda lease. But Field also said it was too early to say what the outcome would be at this stage, and he would discuss next steps with his colleagues in China in the coming months.
"Over the past nine years, 'Sunshine' and 'Sweet' have impressed tourists, helped millions connect with nature and sparked their interest in wildlife conservation. I hope they will Staying with us for a few more years is my current goal," Field emphasized.
As the UK government currently only provides funding for small zoos, Edinburgh Zoo does not meet the funding requirements.The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland can only maintain the operation of the zoo and other animal protection causes by borrowing from the government, laying off staff if necessary, and initiating fundraising.
In addition to the repeated epidemic situation, the UK's Brexit plan has also further troubled the society's animal protection cause, including the plan to reintroduce Scottish wild cats.
Donation information on Edinburgh Zoo website
"We have received £3.2 million from EU Life to support a partnership to save Scottish feral cats." Field says feral cats are now endangered in the UK Extinct, the Scottish Wildcat is the only hope left for the species. "But due to Brexit, we will no longer be eligible to apply for these donations in the future."
"Edinburgh Zoo has a leading conservation genetics laboratory that supports conservation projects around the world, a cutting-edge scientific Funders and researchers will also be lost. This has forced many important endangered animal conservation projects to be delayed or even stopped," Field said with regret.
Giant pandas have strong "Chinese genes"
"Tiantian" and "Sunshine" are the only pair of giant pandas in the UK. Despite six attempts at artificial insemination, "Tiantian" has not yet been produced in a foreign country Cubs.
Report on Tiantian's infertility
In 2009, "Tiantian" gave birth to a pair of twins in China. After arriving in the UK, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland tried unsuccessfully to guide Sweet and Sunshine into natural mating in 2012.
Since then, Edinburgh Zoo has launched an artificial insemination program for giant pandas. At first, the garden was very high-profile in publicity, but after five failed attempts, the garden's attitude became low-key, and it also cautiously provided information about the breeding work to the outside world.At the same time, European and American zoos, including Vienna in Austria and Atlanta in the United States, have announced the successful breeding of giant pandas.
Unfortunately, in 2018, "Sunshine" was found to grow a tumor, and the zoo's conservation and breeding director Ian Valentine announced his resignation in the same year. Valentine is the proponent of the giant panda breeding program, and has been in charge of the giant panda rental and breeding program for more than ten years. Edinburgh Zoo has had to suspend its breeding programme for a year.
After multiple analyses of scientific data and a synthesis of breeding experiences from around the world, Edinburgh Zoo conducted the sixth artificial insemination at the end of March 2019, but it still ended in failure, which is also the last effort carried out by the zoo so far . Charlotte MacDonald, head of the
Zoo, said at the time: "Giant panda breeding is an extremely complex and unpredictable process, and we will continue to share research results with our Chinese colleagues. It is too early to say what the next steps are. Early."
Giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo
But this frequent artificial insemination program has sparked dissatisfaction among other animal protection groups. Libby Anderson, policy adviser at Edinburgh-based animal protection agency OneKind, is unequivocally opposed to the captive breeding program and wants zoos to drop the practice. She said: "Repeated artificial insemination harms the interests of animals and will not contribute to the recovery of wild species, and the cubs born will never be released." Cubs are inseparable from their strong "Chinese genes". Valentine thinks this may have something to do with Edinburgh's sunlight levels - as the city is further north than its natural habitat in China, longer days in summer and longer nights in winter may give pandas hormones disorder.
The giant pandas who returned to China early due to an accident are not only "Tiantian" and "Sunshine". Giant pandas have strict and even critical requirements for the "hometown specialty" of bamboo. After the outbreak of the epidemic, the international transportation industry was blocked. The Calgary Zoo in Canada had to let the "Er Shun" and "Er Shun" living here because it was difficult to obtain fresh and tender bamboo. "Da Mao" returned to China ahead of schedule.
As early as 2015, the giant panda "Nuan Nuan" who was born in , , Malaysia, is not used to the local bamboo in Malaysia and only eats fresh bamboo imported from China, which makes his annual expenses exceed 600,000 US dollars, equivalent to RMB per day. More than 10,000 yuan. Since they couldn't afford the food, Malaysia sent Nuan Nuan back to Chengdu ahead of schedule in 2017.
The zoo has tried its best to raise funds
Open the official website of Edinburgh Zoo and enter the panda video section, you can follow the every move of "Tiantian" and "Sunshine" in real time through live broadcast: eat bamboo leisurely, cute and cute Rolling around or showing off their cute sleeping positions...
This is Edinburgh Zoo's new form of revenue generation in response to the financial woes of the pandemic. Members who cannot go to the zoo in person can view the animals "online" through cameras installed in the park. In fact, the method of live broadcast has already existed. In March 2019, only nearly 96,000 people used this function, but in March 2020, a record of 2.4 million people watched it at the same time.
Live broadcast of pandas eating bamboo
Although the park has been reopened to tourists, it is still difficult to make up for the previous funding gap. You must know that the monthly food cost of the animals alone is as high as 55,000 pounds. Two giant pandas eat 40 pounds of bamboo a day, and koalas also need a sufficient amount of eucalyptus.
In addition to generating income from live broadcasts, the zoo has also launched a panda claim program, which is divided into 5 different levels according to the price contributed by the claimant.In addition, members can donate to the pandas - £10 can create a secret recipe for their favourite 'panda cake', £55 can buy a lunch, and donors can watch them on camera How to be fed with food donated by yourself.
The claim plan is divided into 5 levels.
In addition to pandas, the official website also has a list of snacks, supplies and toys donated for other animals.
In addition, there are other ways to ease financial pressure, such as pre-purchase ticket programs, encouragement to join the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland as a patron, and even encourage sponsorship activities in individual names, such as craftsmen, bakers and art creators, etc. . Patrons support the cause of the zoo by selling their work through personal fundraising pages.
For now, Edinburgh Zoo also needs to take precautions to protect staff and rare species from the coronavirus. In early April 2020, a Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in the United States tested positive for the new crown epidemic.
has analyzed that it is possible for humans to infect chimpanzees with coronavirus. Although there is no relevant case at present, the staff of Edinburgh Zoo remain highly vigilant.
"We maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the care of our animals and are taking extra precautions to prevent the potential spread of this virus," said Darren McGarry, the zoo's specimen collection officer. Staff are keeping their distance from animals as much as possible and wearing masks around some of the more sensitive animals - such as primates, cats and bears."
Another concern is that some animals in the zoo are also aware of human activity sharp decrease.Chimpanzees are among the animals that have noticed the change, and according to McGarry, "our chimps have started to climb up the windows in search of tourists".
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