Early morning on Tuesday October 13th, the Toronto Zoo welcomed two new panda cubs into the world. It was a historic moment – these are the first panda cubs to be born in Canada. The first was born at approximately 3:31 am and the second around 3:44 am. They came into the world squalling, hairless, pink, and approximately the size of a stick of butter; a far cry from the giant black and white pandas they will become. The cubs weighed 187.7 grams and 115 grams respectively.
The public won’t get to see the panda cubs in person for a few months. According to the zookeepers this is a critical time in their survival. The zoo is posting pictures and updates on social media to keep people informed on their progress.
However the cubs are only guaranteed to stay in Canada for one year. Technically, even though the pandas were born in Canada, they are Chinese. Their mother, Er Shun and another male panda named Da Mao are on loan from China, and one of the clauses of that loan was that any cubs born during the pandas’ stay in Canada would belong to China.
The Chinese practice of loaning pandas is called panda diplomacy. It traces back to the custom of gifting pandas to other countries, and since then has evolved into loans. In fact China uses these pandas as a political tool – researchers have found correlations between panda loans and trade deals with other countries. Remember back in 2013 when Stephen Harper personally welcomed the pandas into Canada? It was about more than just cute animals and environmental conservation, it was a symbol of China strengthening relations with Canada and it just happened to coincide with a trade deal for uranium.
Moreover, the pandas can just as easily be used to exert political pressure. For example in 2010 President Obama met with the Dalai Lama on a diplomatic visit, despite China’s warning not to as it would strain relations between them. A few days later they took back 4-year old Tai Shan, a cub born in the USA. This was the only time China permanently repatriated a panda in the modern era.
The pandas don’t come cheap either. In addition to all the fees associated with taking care of the pandas, the zoo must pay an annual $1 million conservation fee, plus an extra $100,000 a year for each of the cubs.
It may not seem very fair to the countries who get the pandas, but in a way it is also good. Pandas are an endangered species, and a portion of the money China gets from the loans is earmarked for giant panda conservation efforts. Further, countries who get the pandas are obligated to take very good care of them to maintain positive relations, and raising cubs only helps this. Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, as females only ovulate a few days a year, and even then might not be interested in having kids. Most zoos, like the Toronto Zoo, have to artificially inseminate pandas to get cubs. Certainly it would be better if more money went towards conservation (not just part of the money), and there really should be more focus on breeding pandas in the wild, rather than just in captivity, but it’s better than nothing.
Will Canada get to keep its panda cubs? That’s up to China to decide. But since Canada is taking good care of them (and it’s pretty lucrative for China if we keep them), it looks promising. For now though, the zookeepers are just trying to make sure those cubs survive.
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