February 12, 2006
Pandas: The Most Expensive Animals in the World
We have read the enlightening NY Times article about how pandas in U.S. zoos are like money pits, though adorable ones. The reason is because China leases the each panda to zoos for $2 million (in "panda cost and research"). And then there are the habitats the zoos must build, plus the expensive diets they have - oh, and if there's a baby, that's another $600,000 per year. The director of the Giant Panda Conservation Foundation in the U.S., David Towne, even says, "I've told my mayor [of Seattle] and everyone else that the last thing we want is pandas," and more blasphemous words were not said. The article is fascinating for the economic perspective of what pandas giveth and taketh away, but we'd also like the Freakonomics guys to get on the panda bandwagon and break it down.
Okay, so maybe Gothamist knows why pandas might not come to NYC ever. But we can dream, can't we? Maybe when the Chinese government decides to lower the rental price of pandas.
Photograph of Tai "Butterstick" Shan and his mother Mei Xiang at the National Zoo from information leafblower on Flickr; check out his Butterstick photos
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what? we rent pandas? what is this world coming too? So we can't breed our own pandas or some shit? If we have our own pandas does China automatically claim it just because they are pandas? Shit we should rent out some American Eagles to their asses for a billion dollars each.
Well, most pandas are found in China. If the Chinese thought that bald eagles would be zoo attraction, I'm sure they'd just create some in factories.
I really wanna see the books on this one.
You mean with all the panda souvenirs, they can't at least break even? I know in China, you can take a picture of yourself with a baby panda on your lap for 40USD. And, I've heard, it's the best 40usd you'll ever spend being that close to a baby panda.
And, How much we pay our sport's atheletes, again???
On the sports count, at least sports stars do something. Pandas just sit around and eat for $2m a year.
On the sports count, at least sports stars run around with balls for $6m a season. Pandas just sit around and eat for $2m a year.
A good chunk of the panda fees zoos pay China go into conservation efforts to keep wild panda populations protected and viable in China. And they're actually making progress on that score, judging from some recent reports.
Seems like a pretty good application of market economics to wildlife preservation -- all thought up by communist China. This is why the U.S. will be a cut-rate economic backwater in 75 years.
When I visited the San Diego Zoo and spoke to a zookeeper, I was really impressed with their bamboo-wrangling efforts. They really do search high and low for bamboo for the pandas. And they are constantly monitoring them. Also, the U.S. exhibit spaces for pandas are really beautiful and impressive - with tons of stimulation for pandas. The old panda exhibit in Hong Kong looks shoddy in comparison.
I don't know if this would be within in the bounds of what zoos can do, but maybe they could raise more money if they had more panda-related events. Not necessarily trotting out the pandas all the time, but maybe panda sleepover parties.