Animal welfare campaigner blasts panda deal

Dec 16 2011 by Tina Kemp, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A CARDROSS animal welfare campaigner has blasted the bringing of two giant pandas to Scotland as “sickening”.

John Robins of Animal Concern spoke out as the bears arrived at Edinburgh Zoo from China on Sunday for a 10 years stay.

Mr Robins’ organisation is behind a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority over Scottish Government adverts promoting the arrival of the animals.

The advert claims that the Chinese are gifting the pandas when in fact they are being leased by the zoo for an undisclosed sum thought to be between £1million and £1.4million per year.

In a Freedom of Information request by Animal Concern, the Scottish Government has been asked to disclose who initiated and authorised the advertising campaign and how much public money has been spent on it.

Mr Robins said: “These bears are being brought to Scotland in a desperate bid to solve a financial crisis at Edinburgh Zoo. Similar initiatives at other zoos have ended badly with the huge costs of leasing and caring for the pandas outstripping the extra income they generate.

“There is little conservation or educational value in the project and the vast sums of money being paid to the Chinese authorities would be better spent improving conditions for other animals at the zoo or in buying large areas of the natural habitat of the giant panda and protecting it from human encroachment and commercial exploitation.

“It is quite sickening to see both the Scottish and Chinese Governments desperately trying to generate positive publicity on the back of the cute and cuddly image of the two pandas which are being transported half-way across the globe for nothing more than very unsavoury financial and political reasons.”