Calgary panda exhibit opens to the public

Six years of planning and approximately $30 million later, the giant panda exhibit at the Calgary Zoo opens to the public today. 

"The value of hosting these international symbols of conservation is that they provide a tremendous opportunity to engage our community on how each of us can make a difference for wildlife here in Canada and around the world," said zoo president and CEO Clément Lanthier in a news release. 

The four pandas — Da Mao, Er Shun, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue — are being housed in a specially constructed habitat called Panda Passage, which contains flowing water, trees and plants. 

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Panda Passage cost $14.4 million to build. 

There are 432 square metres of indoor space and a further 1,512 square metres of outdoor space for the animals, according to the zoo. In the back of the habitat is a nursing den in the event of a pregnancy. 

The zoo started construction on the habitat in 2016, with the city and the province contributing to the cost. 

It will be home to the two adult pandas — Er Shun and Da Mao — throughout their five-year stay in Calgary. The two cubs will fly back to China in approximately 18 months.

The $14.4 million spent on the habitat is not the only cost borne by the zoo.

The Toronto experience

In total, approximately $30 million was spent on panda-related infrastructure, Lanthier told Radio Canada. The new facilities include things like washrooms, parking spaces and places to buy food and drinks. 

It's significantly higher than the $3 million spent by the Toronto Zoo, which played host to the pandas for their first five years in Canada.

Calgary will have to fork out approximately $1.5 million a year to care for the animals, which consume about 1,100 kilograms a week of bamboo, which is flown in from China. 

Each year, the zoo will donate $1.4 million to a panda research centre in Chengdu, China, to "support conservation initiatives such as breeding, habitat protection, reintroduction science and research," according to a news release.

Return on investment

In order to offset the costs, the zoo is hoping to see an increase of 15 per cent in annual visitors, for a total of 1.5 million people. 

During the pandas' stay in Toronto, there was an uptick in zoo visitors of 13 per cent in the first year, but that number dropped in subsequent years. 

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Lanthier says the Calgary Zoo's budget is prudent and is based on lessons learned from other zoos. He says they realize the first-year bump won't continue. 

There's also the chance to recoup some costs through concession sales. In 2013, the first year of the pandas' stay in Toronto, the zoo counted more than $4 million in retail spending by visitors and over $7.7 million spent on food and beverages. 

Conversation about conservation

Lanthier, however, says it's not just about dollars and cents. He points to the conversation around conservation as a primary concern. 

There are fewer than 1,800 pandas left in the wild, and the zoo says in its news release that more than half of the giant pandas' habitat has been destroyed in the past 50 years.

"Our success with protecting endangered species in Canada and Africa shows that there is hope for all species on the planet," said Lanthier.

"We believe that small actions can often lead to big changes that help sustain the incredible biodiversity on the planet. And by inviting our visitors to make a small change, I know we can inspire the belief that together we can make a difference."

Visitors to the zoo can buy tickets online to avoid lineups, and there's the option to book a time to visit the pandas to help reduce crowds and wait times. 

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