Tell Japan to Halt Panda Swap Deal
Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura recently announced plans to acquire pandas from China for display at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo through the panda diplomacy program. But bartering, loaning, and transferring these sensitive animals and putting them on display in zoos causes pandas undue stress and does nothing to protect their rapidly diminishing natural habitat. Join PETA Asia-Pacific in urging the minister to halt the deal!
Zoos have nothing to offer pandas or other animals except deprivation and loneliness. Animals are relegated to a lifetime of boredom and abuse. Pandas in particular suffer in captivity. Although they are shy and shun human contact, captive pandas are besieged by a constant onslaught of visitors, and they are artificially and invasively bred. Most attempts to breed pandas in captivity have failed and have done little to propagate the species.
Although it was created to encourage habitat preservation, the panda diplomacy program has shifted from protecting pandas in the wild to attracting paying customers in zoos. The program has come under intense scrutiny as experts learn more about the detrimental effects that captivity has on pandas. In 2006, Taiwan declined an offer of two pandas, saying that the endangered animals are better left in their natural habitat. In addition, pandas have become political and profitable bartering tools. With loan terms of 100 million yen per year, trading pandas has become an extremely lucrative industry for China.
Please use the form below to send an e-mail to Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura, and urge him to halt plans to acquire pandas from China!
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