Pandas bring in money, apparently.
A New York billionaire has announced plans to bring a pair of giant pandas to a Manhattan Zoo. John Catsimatidis, the billionaire founder of the Gristedes grocery store chain, said in a press conference last week the move could bring “tens of millions of dollars” in tourism revenue to the city, although he did not elaborate on how that number was calculated.
The press conference was short on details and without a timeline, but Catsimatidis mentioned he would like the bears to arrive in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence in July 2026. As far as location, the billionaire said he hoped the Central Park Zoo would be home to the bears. He promised to fund the construction of a panda pavilion for visitors to see them.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States declined to offer specifics or confirm that talks had taken place.
‘Panda Diplomacy’
Giant pandas have long been a symbol of China in the West, and the cuddly bears are often leased to the United States and other countries in what has been termed “Panda Diplomacy.” Although pandas had been sent to the United States before, they have famously been in residence in American zoos since Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai promised a pair to First Lady Patricia Nixon in 1972. That pair of pandas was donated to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where admissions peaked as visitors flocked to see them.
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China leases the bears to zoos in the United States, but maintains ownership of them and any offspring they produce. The lease terms also have expiration dates. This month, three pandas from the National Zoo returned to Chengdu as their lease was nearing its end date. Pandas in San Diego were returned in 2019, and the Memphis Zoo returned its pandas earlier this year.
Over the past several years, the Chinese government has been declining to renew panda leases with U.S. zoos, so the bears that are returned to China are not being replaced with new ones. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping made remarks at a San Francisco welcome dinner during China’s November state visit to the U.S, but the remarks focused on the return of pandas to zoos in California.
President Xi noted, “I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off. I also learned that the San Diego Zoo and the Californians very much look forward to welcoming pandas back. Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples.”
Will Pandas Actually End Up in New York?
Given the panda’s role in U.S.-China diplomacy, it’s a departure from the norm that a billionaire has held a press release to announce a direct role in securing the leases. The negotiations are typically worked out between diplomatic officials, zoos, and conservation organizations directly. However, much of the cost for panda upkeep and research is funded by private donations directly to zoos and through conservation organizations.
An adult giant panda can eat up to 88 pounds of fresh bamboo each day, which can be difficult and costly to procure—particularly during the northern winter. It’s estimated that the food bill alone for a zoo panda runs over $100,000.
U.S. politicians are also not in lockstep on the benefits of panda diplomacy—a congresswoman from South Carolina introduced a bill in the House of Representatives last year that decried the amount of “rent” U.S. zoos were paying for the pandas each year, calling for changes to the panda agreements.
It’s also not the first time a public figure has sought pandas for New York City zoos. In 2016, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney worked to bring a pair of pandas to the city. At the time, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates New York City’s zoos, declined to allow any city or zoo budgets to be spent on developing panda habitats or supporting efforts to bring pandas to the city.
Catismiatidis—who was the runner-up for the Republican nomination of New York City Mayor in 2013, says that he has the support of Mayor Eric Adams and Huang Ping, New York’s Consulate General of China.
The Atlanta Zoo is the only remaining U.S. zoo with pandas still in residence. The timeline has not been announced, but those bears are also slated to return to China when their lease ends next year.