The Forestry Bureau said yesterday that the Leofoo Village Theme Park has applied to host two giant pandas offered by China, the first organization in the country to do so and it would begin the review process as soon as possible.
China offered the two pandas as gifts after a visit by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) in 2005. But the Council of Agriculture rejected the offer on the grounds that the nation lacked adequate facilities to raise the animals.
The panda offer touched on the issue of national sovereignty. As an endangered species, the giant pandas fall under the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The convention requires the exports of endangered animals to be certified by the exporting and importing countries.
Beijing has insisted, however, that the convention would not apply because the transfer of the pandas would be a “domestic issue.”
After the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government took office last month, the panda issue was put back on the table, with the Leofoo park and Taipei City Zoo seen as the main contenders for the pandas.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) has also expressed an interest in having the pandas in his city.
The Forestry Bureau said the only application it has received so far was from Leofoo Park.
The Leofoo Safari Zoo, located in Hsinchu County, was founded in 1979 and was the first safari zoo in the country.
In 1989, the zoo was absorbed into an expanded recreation area, which was renamed the Leofoo Village Theme Park. The park is one of the most popular in Taiwan.
The bureau said that in addition to zoos, research centers and academic institutions were also qualified to file an application to house the pandas.
The key criteria in reviewing applications will include the places where the pandas will live, veterinarian training and public educational plans, the bureau said.
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