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Morning News

Zoo Atlanta President Discusses Pandamania

Aired January 10, 2001 - 9:36 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The much-anticipated panda debut at Washington National Zoo is now about 30 minutes away. The two giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, are Washington's newest power pair. They're on an extended visit from China. Zoo officials are expecting some big crowds for the premier. The bears arrived about a month ago and they have been quarantined up until today.

Washington's National Zoo is one of just three zoos in the United States that have giant pandas. The Atlanta Zoo got a pair of pandas last October. Yang-Yang and Lun-Lun made their debut back in November. Since that time, millions of people, including my two children, have been by to visit those bears.

Joining us now is the man responsible for bringing those pandas to Atlanta. Terry Maple is president and chief executive of the Atlanta Fulton County Zoo. He's also author of "Saving the Giant Panda," which he has a copy of in his hands this morning.

TERRY MAPLE, ZOO ATLANTA: I have a copy of it right here for you. I want you to have this book.

HARRIS: I'll be glad to take it with me.

Good to see you again. How have you been?

MAPLE: Good. Real good.

HARRIS: How have the pandas been?

MAPLE: Well, they are doing great. They have adapted really well, and the people are loving them of course. And they are loving them each other. That is the really good part.

HARRIS: That is what you want, isn't it?

MAPLE: You bet.

HARRIS: How are they doing with that anyway? You have been trying to breed them; correct?

MAPLE: Yes, well, we hope to. We are very interested in the fundamental social development. So we are interested in how pandas form friendships and eventually courtships. It's part of our scientific program, and everything is going very, very well. HARRIS: You have been on the outside here and looking in on what had been happening in Washington. Are you excited about what we will see this morning?

MAPLE: I am very excited about it. The National Zoo is a very deserving institution. They started all of this panda stuff. They have done a great job over the years. We studied their habitat. Now they have came back and studied ours. We work together very closely.

HARRIS: Let's talk about what the pandas have been going through. As just mentioned a moment ago, they have been through a 30- day incubation period. Sorry, what is it quarantine?

MAPLE: Quarantine.

HARRIS: What happens during that 30-day period when they do that?

MAPLE: Well, the veterinarians have to check them out very carefully and make sure that they are going to be very healthy, and also adapt to the circumstances of captivity. Moving all the way from China to the United States is a big adjustment, although the pandas seem to handle this very well.

HARRIS: Really?

MAPLE: And our two, they adapted quite well over that period of time. But it is something that you have to do, in order to be sure that they are OK.

HARRIS: You know, when you mention that transition period that they go through, this big change. What is the toughest part on the animal? the trip itself or is it the actual getting used to the new environment?

MAPLE: You know, I think that the biggest challenge is the food. They have got to adjust to a new feeding schedule no matter what you do. And you are acquiring bamboo that is slightly different than what they have been eating.

HARRIS: How so?

MAPLE: Well, there are different varieties of bamboo, and the living and growing conditions can vary. And we were surprised at how finicky these pandas were. And we had to change things up on them frequently. We are still doing that. I think we have finally decided on the right kind of schedule, and things are working really well. But it takes a lot of work to adapt them to that.

HARRIS: So what will you be looking for this morning, anything in particular?

MAPLE: I think there is a couple of things. Number one, I believe that the most important thing that we are doing is to tell the story about panda conservation. So I know the National Zoo is going to work hard to get that story out. Very often people talk about how cute pandas are, but we need to for people to understand how endangered they are, and how the work in the field to save pandas in the wild is the most important thing to do.

HARRIS: And as I read it, that work in the field is being supported by zoos like the Zoo Atlanta and the Washington National Zoo.

MAPLE: That is right.

HARRIS: The fees that you all pay to get the pandas actually goes into the conservation effort in China.

MAPLE: Our federal government, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulates how we apply these funds. There is a national plan and our American Association of Zoos and Aquariums coordinates our work, the San Diego Zoo's great work, and the National Zoo, and even the Columbus Zoo, which has funds from a previous visit. Those funds are being applied in China to help save the giant panda.

HARRIS: How much does it cost?

MAPLE: Well, it is a million dollars a year for each institution that currently exhibits pandas. They generate a lot of money, but they generate a lot of expenses. Fundamentally, the most important expense is that for conservation. And we are very proud that money goes towards conservation.

HARRIS: Is this a money-making prospect for the zoos when they bring an animal like that in for exhibits like this?

MAPLE: Well, like I say, they generate revenue, but they generate great expenses. I think, in the whole, they are very beneficial for the zoo economically because they raise our awareness, they raise our visitation, and all of that of course gets plugged back into our non-profit. You can't really talk about profits. You can talk about benefits, though. And fundamentally the most important is world-wide conservation.

HARRIS: And raising the profile does go a long way toward doing that. I believe you have a Web cam set up for the pandas...

MAPLE: Yes we do.

HARRIS: ... here at Zoo Atlanta.

MAPLE: Why, yes we do.

HARRIS: Can we take a look at that? This is the Web page for Zoo Atlanta. What is the Web cam doing?

MAPLE: It watches all of the time. We have either got live camera or recent video. And we have always got people in there tinkering with it because we have got 17 cameras on these guys at all time. And it links also to the World Wildlife Fund. It links to the Fish and Wildlife Service, to San Diego, and to National. And so you can learn a lot about pandas. You can follow them on a daily basis. It is a lot of fun.

HARRIS: This may sound a little strange. But considering the fact that this is "Temptation Island" day, I got to ask you this one. Do the Web cams also show when the bears are trying to...

MAPLE: We don't edit what the cameras show. There is a lot of learning going on right now. And I think people ought to tune in. It is quite interesting.

HARRIS: OK, good deal, Terry Maple, thank much. And thanks for keeping it clean, appreciate it.

MAPLE: You bet.

HARRIS: Take care.

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