Pandas face exit over unbearable bill
EDINBURGH Zoo’s giant pandas may have to return to China next year due to financial pressures brought about by coronavirus restrictions.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, was forced to close for three months during the summer.
Pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian cost £1million a year to lease and David Field, chief executive of the society, says the charity will have to “consider every potential saving” – including ending the bears’ contract.
Field said: “The closure of Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park for three months due to Covid-19 has had a huge financial impact on our charity. We lost about £2million last year and it seems certain that restrictions, social distancing and limits on our visitor numbers will continue for some time, which will also reduce our income.”
The society was not eligible for Government funding, which was aimed at smaller zoos. Field added: “We have to seriously consider every potential saving and this includes assessing our giant panda contract and the cost of their daily care. At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be. We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.”
“Yang Guang and Tian Tian have made a tremendous impression on our visitors over the last nine years, helping millions of people connect to nature and inspiring them to take an interest in wildlife conservation.
“I would love for them to be able to stay for a few more years with us and that is certainly my current aim.”