Times are tough all over, especially for zoos, museums, and other cultural attractions. The budget is so lean at Zoo Atlanta that it looks like the giant pandas living there may have to go back to China.
It isn't that the pandas aren't popular in Atlanta, it's that they are so expensive. According to Wikipedia, referencing the New York Times, keeping a panda "costs five times more than that of the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos generally pay the Chinese government $1 million a year in fees, as part of a typical ten-year contract." The majority of the money paid to China, by U.S. law, goes towards panda conservation, but still, it's expensive.
Only four zoos in the united states have pandas. But they really aren't a local attraction anymore, not with the internet. Every day people all over the world tune into the various "panda cams" in the U.S. to see what their favorite bears are up to.
If you haven't watched Zoo Atlanta's panda-cam, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST), you should take a look, it can be pretty entertaining. Here's a recent report from Atlanta:
... today we gave Lun Lun and Xi Lan a green weeble toy with "arms" made from Chinese elm branches cut down this morning by the Horticulture Team. Our little tree-person was then topped with a healthy dosing of Tabasco, one of Lun's favorite scents. Upon discovering this, excitement between Lun and Xi Lan ensued. Lun grabbed at the toy, rubbing her face and chest over it to get as much of the spicy scent as she possibly could. Not wanting to feel left out, Xi Lan began to copy his mother and jumped up on the toy and began rubbing his chin and cheeks on the toy as well. Soon he was covered in the Tabasco sauce! Lun decided he would do just as well as the toy and scooped him up to her chin. Without ceremony, she began rubbing the little cub all over her chest, neck and back and using him to self anoint. It was quite a funny sight to see Lun using her cub as a sponge like that.
If you are one of those people who tune in the pandas on a regular basis, and you have a little extra cash, it may be time to send a donation to Atlanta, or one of the other zoos keeping pandas. Every zoo has a fund raising program. You can make a donation, or become a member of the zoo, or, if you happen to be in Atlanta on August 14th, you can have a drink with Pints for Pandas. I can't think of a better reason to drink a beer.
Photo: "One of four Giant Pandas at the Atlanta Zoo" (Rob, This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License)
