INTERESTING FACTS

The Chinese government charges a leasing fee of US$1 million per year to foreign zoos wishing to display one of its giant pandas.

Apparently any pandas born in captivity in foreign zoos are exempted from the charge, but as giant panda mothers seem to have a distressing habit of abandoning or smothering their newborn, this is sadly quite a rare event.

What happens if the foreign zoo doesn't keep up payments on the animal? Do the Chinese send in repo men to get it back?

I would imagine panda repossession would be a fairly specialised job. You would need quite a large SUV, a bale of straw, fresh bamboo (easy to find in Asia but more of a challenge in Frankfurt or Warsaw), bolt cutters, a digital jamming system for the security cameras and alarm, some planks of wood to bridge the safety pit, panda costumes (to put the animal at its ease) some ketamine and a large sling - oh and a large crate marked "Diplomatic Bag".