By Aliza Rochwarger, Staff Writer
Pandas, with their distinct black and white fur and calm demeanor, are looked upon with adoration and love by people all around the world. The first pandas arrived in America from China in the 1930s, but those efforts were short-lived. By the 1950s, the pandas had been returned to China, leaving many Americans with a void that was only filled in 1972 by the efforts of President Nixon. His agreement with China helped bring more pandas to American zoos and foster international ties between the two countries.
However, while pandas are now popular worldwide, transporting them internationally creates many issues. Large bears – especially a species that has historically been in danger of going extinct – need to be handled with extreme care. Immense effort and planning are required to successfully bring pandas to international zoos, as ensuring the safety, health and well-being of these animals must be a top priority throughout the process.
Moving across the world to a new home can be challenging for anybody, but especially for pandas that have lived their entire lives with a specific environment and climate. Does the benefit of the people enjoying pandas at the zoo justify the risks posed to the welfare of these animals?
The collaboration between China and the United States has allowed for breakthroughs in research that enable scientists to create new methods to help pandas survive longer as a species. Additionally, panda breeding programs have been formed in order to help maintain genetic diversity and promote population growth, which is critical given the pandas’ status as a vulnerable species. Therefore, by keeping pandas in captivity, researchers are able to help the species even more than if they were living in their natural habitat.
Despite this, some argue that the transportation of pandas – whether for breeding purposes or for public viewing – is detrimental to their welfare. The stress of new places, travel, changes in resources and the strain of captivity can hurt both their health and reproductive success. Many zoo experts criticize the idea of transporting animals for the sake of tourism or research. Some critics argue that the ethics of moving animals across the globe for the public’s enjoyment raises serious concerns. Pandas are sensitive to environmental changes, and some wonder whether it is ethical to move animals across the globe for the public’s enjoyment. Does adding another panda to an American zoo justify the stress and disruption to their lives? Even for the sake of helping to conserve the animals, one may question whether it is okay to keep these animals in captivity.
On the other hand, many conservationists argue that the positive impacts of the panda exchange programs completely outweigh the negative aspects. They emphasize that zoos help educate the public about pandas and form more support for critical breeding programs that can help save the species. This has been proven through the status of pandas being upgraded from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ as a result of the many new zoo programs that have successfully bred pandas in America (before sending the baby pandas to China).
It is clear that the presence of pandas in America has sparked widespread public interest in wildlife conservation and the protection of endangered species. While questions about ethics and welfare are important, these discussions also highlight the complexities of modern-day conservation efforts and the difficult choices that must be made in balancing human curiosity with the needs of animals.