The High Cost of Panda Cuteness
Giant pandas are very cute, but incredibly expensive. American zoos do not actually own the pandas that we enjoy going to visit. China rents pandas out to the tune of $1 million a year. Zoos typically sign a 10-year contract, which means that at the end of that contract, a zoo will have spent $10 million renting one panda.
And any cubs that are born while at the zoo? Well, China charges a cub tax of $400,000. And those little cuties have to be shipped back to China when they turn three.
But they're still really cute.