By Mara Hvistendahl and Joy Dong, Mara Hvistendahl collected archival material and zoo records, interviewed veterinarians and scientists from around the world, and visited a breeding center in Chengdu, China. Joy Dong reported from Hong Kong. Two chunky pandas, a male and a female, arrived from China at the National Zoo in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. If everything goes as planned, they will eventually have cubs. Exchanges like this have helped turn giant pandas into the face of conservation worldwide. The panda program was created with the goal of saving an endangered species. Zoos would pay up to $1.1 million a year per pair to help China preserve the pandas’ habitat. Zoos would follow carefully crafted breeding recommendations to improve the genetic diversity of the species, with the hope that China would release pandas into the wild someday.
However, a New York Times investigation, based on over 10,000 pages of documents, revealed that the program has struggled and often failed to meet its objectives. The investigation found that zoos saw panda cubs as a way to attract visitors, prestige, and merchandise sales from the beginning. The breeding practices, including artificial insemination, have caused harm to individual pandas, with some animals experiencing pain and injuries during the process.
Despite claims of improving genetic diversity, experts say that breeding in American zoos has not had a significant impact as China typically sends animals whose genes are already well-represented in the population. Yet, the demand for pandas in American zoos continues to grow, with China providing them to zoos in exchange for cash bonuses for each cub born. The number of pandas in captivity has increased significantly over the years.
The proliferation of pandas in captivity has sparked debates among zoo workers and scientists about the ethics of intensive breeding when there is no real prospect of releasing the animals into the wild. However, many discussions on this topic have been kept private as criticizing the program could harm one’s ability to work in the field. Veterinary medicine, especially with wild animals, is always risky, but interventions are deemed necessary when an animal’s life is in danger. When a species is on the brink of extinction, conservationists often make a final attempt to save it. However, in the case of pandas, zoo administrators repeatedly take risks to produce more cubs, all while concealing the harsh realities from the public. The National Zoo, a part of the Smithsonian, has had pandas as part of its image since 1972. Despite efforts to release pandas into the wild, the success of the program cannot be solely measured by the number of animals released. Pandas in zoos serve as a form of “insurance against extinction” and prioritize animal safety. The Western support for panda conservation has coincided with China’s expansion of nature reserves and stricter logging regulations. While captive pandas are known to be difficult breeders, efforts to save them may ironically be hindering their ability to reproduce. The panda program was initially intended to prevent abuses, such as pandas being used for entertainment in foreign zoos. After years of negotiation, American zoos and the Chinese government agreed to a deal involving the rental of pandas for conservation efforts. Scientists from various institutions worked together to study panda breeding, using techniques like electroejaculation. However, some methods used during this process, such as the use of high voltages and sedatives, have raised concerns about animal welfare. Thomas Hildebrandt, an expert on artificial breeding in animals at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, warned that significant harm can be done in the process. However, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding denied any mistreatment of animals, claiming that no giant pandas had suffered health issues or died during surgeries involving ketamine. Dr. Hildebrandt emphasized the importance of artificial insemination being performed only once per cycle when a female panda is most fertile.
Contrary to this advice, Chinese scientists repeatedly inseminated female pandas, sometimes up to six times in five days. This aggressive approach led to negative consequences, such as injuries to the animals’ uterus and instances of vomiting. Despite their intentions to save the species, the scientists’ methods often caused distress to the individual pandas.
The pursuit of breeding pandas quickly and effectively has led to questionable practices in some Chinese breeding centers. While efforts are made to ensure the survival of the species, concerns have been raised about the separation of cubs from their mothers and the focus on easy breeders rather than genetic diversity.
Although some progress has been made in improving breeding practices, there are still challenges in ensuring the welfare of pandas in captivity. The rental program for pandas, which allows zoos to temporarily host pairs of pandas, has also raised questions about financial motives behind conservation efforts. They desired young pandas, referring to the agreements as “breeding loans.” Pocos detalles se hicieron públicos, y el Smithsonian se ha negado a liberar alguna información sobre ellos a través de una solicitud de registros abierta.
Años después, en 2022, el Canal Smithsonian hizo una película sobre su último cachorro, “El Panda Milagroso”, con una compañía que forma parte del aparato de propaganda de China. Presentó la cría artificial como rápida, efectiva y mínimamente invasiva.
La portavoz del zoológico dijo que los cineastas que necesitaban acceso a China debían trabajar con ciertas compañías de producción. El Smithsonian revisó la película por “precisión científica”, dijo ella.
Casi inmediatamente después de cada nacimiento, el dinero comenzó a fluir.
“Las ventas de mercancía en general han aumentado dramáticamente”, dice un documento de 2006 del socio de recaudación de fondos del zoológico.
“Fondos para muchas operaciones del zoológico, investigación, programación educativa”, escribió un empleado en un bloc de notas.
El número de visitantes aumentó y para 2010, los registros muestran que nueve de los 10 artículos más vendidos estaban relacionados con los pandas.
Los expertos dicen que China típicamente mantiene a sus animales más genéticamente valiosos en el país. En un momento, los registros muestran que Tian Tian y Mei Xiang tenían “la calificación más baja” como pareja.
El zoológico dice que sus crías son saludables e genéticamente importantes. “Son parte del programa de cría” en China, dijo Pierre Comizzoli, un experto en reproducción del Smithsonian que lideró muchas de las inseminaciones. “Así que esto es extremadamente importante.”
En un momento, sin embargo, los registros muestran que los expertos discutieron usar un jet privado para transportar esperma de un panda en San Diego que era una “coincidencia genética mucho más apropiada”.
“Científicamente, estos animales no son importantes para la población”, dijo Mads Frost Bertelsen, el director zoológico del Zoológico de Copenhague, sobre los pandas enviados al extranjero. Su zoológico tiene pandas, pero no ha utilizado la inseminación artificial, dijo. “La única razón para hacerlo en este momento sería una financiera. Obtendríamos más ingresos si tuviéramos crías.”
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