Rebutting the council’s arguments that the zoo lacks well-trained personnel and adequate facilities to house pandas, Spokesman Chiao Ming-chie said that the zoo had sent staff to many countries to learn about the care of pandas.

The zoo also sent a veterinarian and two staff members to China last month to receive training, Chiao said, stressing that zoos in many countries send staff overseas to undergo training one to three months before importing animals.

Noting that the zoo has the expertise, facilities, and capability to care for pandas, Chiao pointed out that the key problem lies in how to overcome the limits that the Washington Accord imposes on the import and export of endangered animals.

To solve that problem, governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to show sincerity and jointly work towards a solution, Chiao said, asserting that now is the time for a breakthrough in the exchange of wild animals between Taiwan and China.

Chiao also said that the zoo is dealing with the issue from a professional viewpoint, adding that the zoo has consulted experts and public for opinions on the issue in three meetings and one public hearing.

The COA has consistently denied the zoo’s applications, reasoning that the international conservation community favors in situ conservation over ex situ conservation. However, according to Chiao, both approaches are equally important.

“You cannot just promote in situ conservation and totally reject ex situ conservation,” he went on.

At present, the zoo has received total donations of NT$250 million (US$7.6 million) from local enterprises to sponsor the construction of an exhibition hall for pandas, Chiao said, while admitting that progress is behind the schedule, and stressing that construction will be completed by the end of this year.

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