From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 1993:
Trying to share World Series pub-
licity, the Philadelphia Zoo wagered the loan of
two white lion cubs against the loan of two
Tasmanian Devils from the Toronto Zoo on
October 17––and incensed some Philadelphians
who thought the deal showed a casual attitude
toward the fate of the animals. Both zoos are
well-reputed, and the animals were apparently
scheduled to be moved elsewhere anyway.
The San Diego Zoo, barred from
renting two giant pandas from China at $1
million a year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, is trying to decide what to do with a
new million-dollar panda cage and an extensive
stock of panda souvenirs. Interior Secretary
Bruce Babbitt ruled that the deal might con-
tribute to “irresistible pressure for the capture
and export of pandas,” contrary to the best
interest of the highly endangered species, even
though it was billed as a breeding loan and
China was supposed to spend the revenue on
panda conservation projects––which have
included such only vaguely related activities as
building hotels and hydroelectric dams in the
recent past. The deal also contradicted policy
of the American Society of Zoological Parks
and Aquariums.
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