Washington State Panda Foundation co-chairs Ron Chow (left) and former Gov. John Spellman (middle) with former Attorney General Rob McKenna
On Sept. 23, 2015, Ron Chow was appointed as International Friendship Representative for Washington state by the Sichuan Provincial Government to promote trade and friendship between the two regions.
Chow co-chairs the Washington State Panda Foundation with former Washington Gov. John Spellman. They aim to bring pandas to Seattle-area zoos. The majority of pandas are from China’s Sichuan province. (end)
Does anyone proposing this know of the situation of the pandas raised in China in a large “research organizations. Just google pandas raised in China. They are taken very young from their mothers, and have no contact with them. All they have are many humans in uniforms working with them. They lose the love of their mother and you all know the mother bear behavior. The mother must be devastated. They barely see their cub and then are rebred. You see the great batches of panadas and they appear so cute, but there is no momma bear love. They are raised only by humans. There is nothing natural and they are not saving these pandas by sending them to US zoos. It is a huge money raiser and fills zoos but as for pandas eating bamboo in the wild, living the life they were meant to live–there is nothing but a cub, raised in cages and sent to live in cages. it is very sad.
I think you are correct.
Bringing Pandas to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo is a crime against wildlife. The cost is exorbitant and feeds into the greed of China’s constant exploitation of wild life, with zero regard for the well-being of these animals. A Panda living in this climate–like so many of the animals held up in this zoo–would be unnatural and cruel. This so called “Washington State Panda Foundation” is a ploy to buy or lease these precious animals so the zoo can bolster its profits at the gate. Zoos are no place for pandas and especially the Woodland Park Zoo.
I agree totally!
When will the exploitation of animals for our amusement stop? We tax payers are already giving millions of dollars to Woodland Park Zoo to cruelly keep animals confined in exhibits too small, and in a climate not suitable to the species. Now Seattle is considering pandas? This “THING” is unconscionable.
I so agree! This is so absurd!
Leave the pandas alone. Washington does not need to take a giant step back with incarcerating more wild animals in cages. Who do you think would pay for them? Have you read what China will charge for the rights to exploit them?
I so agree.
Cindy A. In reading the initial proposal that China is shopping all over the US, it appears the cost to “lease” a bonded pair of Pandas-one male one female–is $1,000.000 per year for 10 years, after which the Pandas are returned to China. Next, any live birth of a baby panda–which is the goal, to breed and grow this money making scheme–will be allowed to stay at the zoo for 3 years with its parents, then it will be returned back to China to stock its own growing fleet of zoos. This whole scenario is just gut wrenching. All so China can get rich while well-intentioned families pay to go stare at these animals for a few minutes.
Correction: #1,000,000 (one million dollars per year)
This is indeed good news for panda lovers who live in Washington State. I hope there is a way to get in touch with this group and let them know how much support this idea has. There are many people who live here who would love to have pandas in our back yard (so to speak). The committee should know that panda tourism is indeed a “thing” and that many people (myself included) travel to places where pandas are available, stay in hotels and spend money dining and …um…buying stuff with pandas on it.
Thanks for your comment, Anne. The committee sure knows that pandas are a thing! 🙂