By Beth Lederer
Pandas are coming to the San Francisco Zoo as part of a Chinese practice called "panda diplomacy." The SF Zoo has been selected to host the pandas which was proudly announced during SF Mayor London Breed's week-long business trip to China last month.
On April 19, Breed stood with officials in Beijing and held up an agreement that was signed with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Breed sees bringing the giant pandas to San Francisco as a way to boost the morale of the City and help increase tourism. With more visitors, San Francisco could reclaim its role as an international city and receive many tourists from China and the Asia Pacific Region. Tourism from this region has been substantially down since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Panda diplomacy through leasing adorable pandas is also seen as a way to improve the communication between the two superpowers. Some areas of contention in the last few years have been due to alleged human rights abuses on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, competition between the two superpowers in the semiconductor market, tariffs placed on Chinese imports, such as steel and aluminum, the burgeoning fentanyl crisis and drugs coming into the U.S., increasing U.S. support for Taiwan, Chinese spying and China aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Jin Ong is a retired engineer originally from Malaysia and a father of two who lives in the Sunset. Ong said he would like to see panda diplomacy.
"I am for whatever we can do to strengthen the ties between the two major economies," Ong said. "I don't need to be a businessman to recognize that it's good for the two big economies to be friendly to each other."
When the pandas arrive at the zoo, he will bring his two kids.
"Of course, everyone loves Pandas," he said.
A longtime SF Zoo docent, passionate about conservation of endangered animals, was happy to speak without giving his name.
"It's a wonderful idea to bring pandas back to the zoo," the docent said. "The SF Zoo is an international scientific, research and conservation institution and having the pandas' participation here gives attention to our endangered species."
China took pandas off the endangered list in 2021.
When many people think of pandas, they get giddy with excitement. Andrew Lathrop and Alejandra Vasquez visited the zoo on April 25, an SF free resident day. Along with many others, they had not heard about the pandas coming to the zoo, though they thought it would be pretty cool.
"Pandas are cute and cuddly," Lathrop said. "They're so fun to watch and lazy; they eat bamboo a lot of the day."
Lathrop and Vasquez said they think SF Zoo would benefit because families would come out more and take their kids. Lathrop said he also likes the panda connection with former Giants player, Pablo Sandoval whose nickname is "Kung Fu Panda."
Mary, a longtime employee, worked at the SF Zoo when San Francisco hosted the pandas from China in 1984 and 1985 when Dianne Feinstein was mayor. She remembers when they were previously housed in one of the grottoes in the lion house. On a rainy opening day in November 1984, the lines were so long that they spilled outside of the zoo. Mary said she likes that the weather and the landscape here in San Francisco are compatible with their home temperatures.
"They are from a very cool area in China. It is also important to consider the animal's disposition and the climate conditions they are familiar with," Mary said.
Mary and a Richmond District resident and longtime member of the zoo said they are excited about having a chance to see pandas from China that have lived in the wild and think having the pandas at the zoo will build community on the west side.
Java Beach Cafe is on Sloat Boulevard, across the street from the zoo. Peyton Thornton has worked as an employee at Java Beach Cafe for two years. Thornton is happy with the increase of visitors the pandas is expected bring. It can be a huge boost to business for the cafe.
"There are peak days at the zoo, but otherwise it's generally pretty slow," Thornton said.
He expressed concern about the ability of the zoo to properly house the animals.
"I personally don't think there's enough space for them to really roam," Thornton said.
Other concerns had to do with the millions of dollars that will need to be donated to build an enclosure for the pandas. Instead, some zoo attendees want to see this money used for the maintenance of the whole zoo and the upkeep for all the animals, not only the pandas.
There are some also who think animals should remain in their natural habitats.
A petition has been circulating on the Nextdoor website with 156 supporters so far. The author has been following and documenting the zoo's issues for 13 years. Her blog is (iamnoanteater.blogspot.com) and would like this petition to reach the mayor. She believes the zoo has been mismanaged for the last 15 years, including how long it took to get a proper orangutan enclosure and that the money should be used to fix its ills. There have also been many articles recently in the San Francisco Chronicle referencing zoo safety concerns and mismanagement.
The pandas could possibly bring a special spark back to the City. While there have been allegations of mismanagement at the zoo, neglect of animals, fear among zookeepers for their safety and for the animals, perhaps these adored animals with big eye patches that roll around and chew bamboo all day will be the answer to many of San Francisco's troubles.
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