Munching on bamboo, tumbling over logs, and staring out from adorable black-and-white faces—pandas surely are cute. But did you know that giant pandas—every last one of them—belong to China? And the Chinese government takes big bucks for letting other countries “borrow” its bears.
This summer, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented two giant pandas to the Berlin Zoo. German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the newcomers, calling them “special ambassadors” for the two countries.
Pandas Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin only after serious negotiations between China and Germany. But they won’t stay forever. That’s because China doesn’t part permanently with its iconic pandas.
Giant pandas are native only to China. They live in a few mountain ranges in the central part of the country.
The word panda means “big bear cat.” The largest can grow to be up to six feet long and 350 pounds. Black-and-white fur allows pandas to hide amid the rocks and snow of their mountain habitat. Like most bears, pandas are omnivorous (eating plants and meat)—not noodle-noshing like Po, of cartoon kung fu fame. A panda’s actual diet is about 99% bamboo.
In the 1950s, China realized that pandas packed a diplomatic punch. Zoos around the world wanted the rare bears, and there was only one place to get them. Countries learned that sitting down at the bargaining table with China just might score them a panda pair.
China started out giving its pandas away. The United States received its first pandas in 1972. Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing were gifts to President Richard Nixon for his work on bettering relations between America and China.
But in 1984, China changed the panda plan. It decided to lend the animals out—for a price. Zoos could “rent” the bears. Then they had to be returned. Not only that, any babies born while the pandas visited also had to go back to China.
Today, pandas are still sent abroad as goodwill ambassadors. Zoos in 15 different countries currently participate in the panda-lending program. All have high-dollar contracts with China to keep the pandas for a few years.
Not everyone likes the panda payments. Experts say the cost of renting one giant panda is $1 million per year. And even though U.S. zoos accept the bears only if China puts half the cash back into panda preservation—many believe panda money isn’t well spent.
