Two pandas are heading back to their homeland, China, as of today. Since the panda is China's national symbol, all pandas located outside that country are really on "loan."
Panda loans from China to zoos in other nations has been dubbed "pandad diplomacy." The loans go back to the days of the Cold War.
One Panda is the the star of Washington D.C.'s National Zoo. Four-year-old Tai Shan is leaving for Bifengxia panda base outside Ya’an.
Meanwhile, his cousin, 3 1/2 year old Zoo Atlanta's Mei Lan will call Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding her new home. Both are being FedExed to China.
That is a serious statement, as well. It's hard to understand how the company known for the slogan “Absolutely, Positively Overnight” (their first slogan) would have entered the Panda Express business.
However, according to NPR, Fedex has been in the panda business for some time. In addition, they ship the pandas for free.
The giant panda is an endangered species. The loans to zoos in other countries, besides being part of diplomacy, are also a program to foster breeding of pandas. The panda's biggest foe however, is man, and habitat depletion.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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