Adelaide Zoo could try to bring new pandas to SA

There are hopes that Adelaide Zoo’s beloved pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni could be replaced by a new pair after the current contract with China expires in 2024.

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Thawing international relations with China would see Zoos SA push for a new pair of giant pandas to replace the much-loved Wang Wang and Fu Ni.

The contract for the pandas with China expires in November 2024 and Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted says it is possible a new pair of the animals will be sought thereafter.

MORE: Inside Zoos SA’s covid hell

Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been among the state’s most popular tourist attractions since coming from the China Wildlife Conservation Association in 2009, but their failure to breed has been a continual source of frustration for the zoo, which has been hoping to support international breeding programs

It has also been hoped they would be able to have a cub and stay in Australia.

The latest breeding attempt in September last year failed and the pandas have another window in the spring.

The contract with China was extended by five years in 2019 but, since then, diplomatic relations have taken a nosedive with a series of devastating tariffs placed on Australian exports, and tensions high over security.

“Our relationship with China is fine from an animal point of view,” Ms Bensted said.

There appears to be some improvement in the relationship, with China blaming the former Morrison government for the damaged relationship and Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently meeting with her Chinese counterpart, ending a three-year diplomatic freeze.

However Anthony Albanese has warned China he won’t be taking orders over Beijing’s demands to repair the relationship.

Ms Bensted said the zoo would simply need to wait and see how the relationship evolved.

In a wide ranging interview with today’s SA Weekend, Ms Bensted, who will have been 10 years in the role, talks about the significant challenges Zoos SA faced during Covid and its

plans for the next few years.

Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted at Adelaide Zoo. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

She is hoping to open up a 250m section of the zoo to the River Torrens. The former Marshall government had promised $7.5m towards the project before the election.

Labor didn’t match the promise, but Ms Bensted has met with senior government figures including Treasurer Stephen Mullighan.

Ms Bensted said this and a number of other significant projects in the city could be done for about $20m.

“We know being a conservation charity, we can deliver things pretty cheaply,” she says.

She also makes the point that investing in Adelaide Zoo is not only good for her institution.

“It’s a great project for the zoo, but it’s actually really good for Adelaide,” she said.

“We work closely with places like the Convention Bureau and to have a world-class facility within walking distance of the CBD is valuable, for a whole range of reasons, not just for us.”

Originally published as Adelaide Zoo could try to bring new pandas to SA