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Pandas are Grossly Abused in China

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the suffering of American-returned pandas through the so-called "panda conservation program" in Chengdu, China.

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By The Middle Land Editorial, BBC

October 26, 2024
1:27 am
Los Angeles, CA

Every year, Americans send tens of millions of dollars to China to lease giant pandas for zoos across the United States. Under the program of panda conservation, each pair of panda costs a U.S. zoo around $1 million annually, with an additional $500,000 if cubs are born. By the U.S-China agreement, once a baby panda reaches two or three years old, the zoo must return it to China for a breeding program. There are roughly 20 countries around the world had the similar program with China. The program not only generates billions of dollars for the one-party-controlled Chinese government, but also extends the communist regime’s influence through the popularity of pandas Led by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, many U.S. zoos have participated in the Panda Conservation Program. The program

Led by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, many U.S. zoos have participated in the Panda Conservation Program. The program has become a financial boon for the Chinese Communist Party for decades, leading to the development of large panda captive facilities and massive panda commerce in China and aboard. The Chinese government’s main priority is to maximize panda reproduction and financial gain, often at the expense of the pandas’ mental and physical health, and many pandas experienced their worse nightmares behind the public scene. User the Chinese government’s censorship, there are little information about how those foreign panda money spent and how those foreign-born pandas are treated in China.

panda abuse in China — A staff member at the Chengdu Panda research facility waved his hands to hit a baby panda while another staff member looked on. We will publish a full video about his abuse on this silent baby panda.

When these pandas are returned to China, they often find themselves in cramped, dirty, and neglected facilities that lack proper care. In stark contrast, their overseas environment is closely monitored and cared for by dedicated scientists and a team of volunteers. As a result, those foreign-born pandas experience significant challenges in adapting to their harsh surroundings and coping with mistreatments of their living conditions.

Reports suggest that those pandas are constantly being sexually abused, beaten and starving in Chinese zoos and research facilities. Against their will, they would be bound on the table under going painful breeding procedures multiple times during a short period of time, which often led to injures, vomiting, mental stress, heart attack and even death.

According to the recent NYT report, none of those U.S-born pandas have ever been released to the wild. To enable panda to live and survive in the wild is the main purpose of the Panda Conservation Program that is sponsored by the U.S. However, all these young pandas are under going the massive artificial breeding protocol after they return to China. The brutal procedures operated by a small group of zoo staff and veterinary, the whole process and results are rarely known by the outsiders. This repetitive procedure destroys panda’s nature breeding habit, causing heart attack and death. In China, pandas are also trained and forced to take pictures and hug with visitors in exchange food. Those constant human interactions and threat-driven trainings have deprived their every opportunity to return to the wild.

In China, pandas are the animal slaves rather than the national treasures as the government claimed. After pandas enter the old age, these overly used creatures would be abandoned and left along somewhere in the Chinese zoos.

This giant panda’s body is covered in bruises, as captured in a photo taken by a visitor at a zoo in Lanzhou, Gansu Province in China.

While the exact number of pandas harmed or killed due to these practices remains unknown, leaked footage from a well-known Panda Breading Center in Chengdu, China, reveals dreadful scenes. In the video, staff members can be seen dragging and throwing the cubs, accompanied by loud shouting.

Below article was published by BBC in 2017:

The incident has drawn criticism from Chinese netizens, who have raised concerns about animal cruelty.

However, panda keeper Guo Jingpeng defended himself saying the cubs were being violent.

Mr Guo told state news agency Xinhua that what is not shown in the video is that he was bitten during a feeding.

“The cub bit my hand really hard. Its teeth cut into my flesh and my hand started bleeding,” he said, adding that his hand still remained scarred.

“When it tried to bite me again, I pushed it away out of instinct.”

Mr Guo also said he felt he had been wronged by the footage being circulated online this week, which was recorded earlier in July.

“The online community claims we don’t love pandas. But we choose to stay and work here because we love these creatures,” he told local media.

“I just want to clarify that the footage showing me “throwing” the panda was a natural reaction.”

Colleagues of Mr Guo told local media that he had since been “criticised and educated” by the facility.

The giant panda is regarded as a symbol of China and is a highly-protected species under the government.

The official panda facility in Chengdu, Sichuan province is dedicated to preserving the species, which is now no longer considered endangered.

‘Pandas look cute but they can be [violent]’

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has responded to the “inappropriate” incident, ordering their staff to treat the pandas “gently”, even if they scratch or bite, according to Xinhua.

“When we first saw the video, we thought the staff members had overreacted even though they meant no harm to the pandas,” Wu Kongju, a panda expert, told Xinhua.

“We hope people can show more understanding towards the panda keepers. Although giant pandas look cute, they are quite strong and can be violent.”

But the controversial interaction caused a stir in China, a nation of fierce and protective panda lovers.

On the popular Sina Weibo micro-blogging site, many called for Mr Guo’s resignation over his “manhandling” of the cubs.

“I don’t care what he has to say, they were just babies,” wrote Loo Jiaying from the Beijing.

“It made me so angry to watch him throw a defenceless cub around. If he was so worried about his safety, why wasn’t he wearing protective equipment like gloves?”

Other netizens called it “blatant animal abuse” and voiced anger at the situation.

One Weibo user questioned the whole government facility. “We have always thought that the Chengdu centre was set up to save our national animal. It did great work in the past and made many Chinese people happy with its panda baby pictures,” he wrote.

“This incident has definitely changed my opinion about its operations and objectives.”

Source: BBC