Tai Shan Holds Zoo's Hopes, Public's Heart

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Tai Shan Gets More Room to Play
The National Zoo's giant pandas will be moving to a new, larger enclosure when the National Zoo's new Giant Panda Habitat opens on Sept. 20.

The Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat has drawn an estimated 1.2 million visits since Tai Shan's December debut, with adoring crowds who snapped up free online tickets.

But if giant pandas are crowd pleasers, they do not ensure zoo profits. The average annual cost for a couple with a cub is about $3.2 million, according to a study done by Zoo Atlanta, one of four animal parks in the United States with pandas. The amount includes a $1 million-a-year fee to exhibit a male and female panda and a one-time charge of $600,000 if a cub is born, funds that go toward panda conservation in China. Zoos, which are hoping to negotiate cheaper loan agreements with China, incur additional costs in panda care, exhibit upkeep and staff research and training.

The National Zoo does not charge admission. But Tai Shan's popularity has helped boost revenue from parking, refreshments and souvenirs.

Overall merchandising sales at the zoo have gone up dramatically, from $1.7 million in the first half of 2005, before the cub was born, to $3.3 million in the first half of this year, according to the zoo. Tai Shan "products" -- including pictures, postcards and plushes -- account for about 23 percent of that total.

David Wildt, who heads the zoo's Department of Reproductive Sciences, heralds the scientific advances that brought Tai Shan into the world. He recently returned from China, reporting that zoo funds earmarked for panda conservation are being well spent.

The monies have helped pay for training and equipment in new biomedical and animal reproductive technologies at panda reserves. The funds also have supported research and built shelters for the Chinese teams that spend days in snow-covered mountains monitoring pandas in the wild. Panda births in China, particularly of male cubs, have recently increased, boosting the zoo's hopes that it can keep Tai Shan beyond his second birthday.

The zoo's new giant panda exhibit opens in September. It will double the outdoor space for a panda family, with plenty of room for Tai Shan -- and, hopefully, a sibling.

"We want to have him remain with us for awhile, until he is needed," Wildt said. "He's the living offspring of our work and an incredible ambassador for saving pandas in China."