Conservation efforts for charismatic wildlife species should transcend politics. But since its inception, giant panda conservation has not been free from controversies. The star status and tremendous public support of giant pandas often bring scrutiny to a range of issues and sometimes raises questions about the legitimacy of the conservation efforts. Many giant panda conservationists in the community are used to addressing sensational claims unfounded in scientific evidence, mainly originating from social media posts. Lately some mainstream media outlets have developed an interest in exploring some of these theories, which compelled us to write the article that is published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Giant pandas were brought back from the brink of extinction in part due to how much people care about and adore them. Narratives that neglect the broader context and scientific evidence will erode public trust in conservation missions and institutions and undermine meaningful collaboration.

Beyond the points we raise in our published article, we would like to elaborate on a few more points in response to recent media stories questioning the role and motivation of zoos and breeding centers in contributing to the welfare and recovery of giant pandas in the wild.  

Captive breeding programs are fundamental to a successful species recovery plan for endangered and highly vulnerable species. For species that are at the verge of extinction, it is an effective way to ensure continuation of the genetic lineage in a safe and controlled environment. Assisted reproduction is needed when the natural process of mating has a low rate of success that is insufficient to sustain a healthy population.  Such techniques are important and necessary because the alternative sometimes can sometimes risk reduction in biodiversity and even the extinction of an entire lineage of species. Zoos and research centers never take these complex procedures lightly, and procedures are carried out under strict protocols to meet the highest standards of safety. For example, semen collection and artificial insemination in the U.S. are strictly regulated by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC); Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA)-accredited zoos have similar protocols and have established stringent ethical review processes that prioritize the wellbeing of the animal.

One criticism regarding the international panda holding zoos is that they don’t raise pandas to be released to the wild. However, the number of individuals reintroduced to the wild is not the sole measure of success of a breeding program, particularly at early stages. Reintroduction programs are complicated and take a great deal of time to implement carefully, and they can only be sustainable when there is a sufficiently large captive breeding population that allows continued release of individuals into the wild, where there are a range of unpredictable risks. Often it takes decades to develop animal training and rewilding methodologies and remediate threats to the species’ native habitat before a significant number of individuals can be reintroduced. Generations of captive born individuals might not be suitable for reintroduction because of their dependency on humans and lack of training and survival skills. But those individuals, constituting the foundation of a healthy captive population, are still incredibly valuable because they contribute to future reintroduction success by enabling the population to grow so that their offspring might have a chance to be trained and selected for reintroduction. The false equivalency of evaluating a breeding program or conservation effort solely by the number of reintroduced individuals is misguided and shortsighted.   

Conservation requires funding, and it is no secret that most zoos require public sponsorship to sustain their operations. Zoos are fortunate in that they are among the few conservation institutions protecting a declining global public goods (biodiversity), that is largely financially self-sufficient. So of course, zoos care about public interest and perception, it helps them raise funds and tailor their conservation messages to reach and to educate a wider audience. The overwhelming public support for charismatic flagship species such as giant panda and their cubs help grow the pie- expanding public awareness and support in environmental conservation and provide spill-over benefits to other species. Most importantly, healthy babies are the future for a healthy captive population, which is essential for progress toward rewilding.  There are times when captive breeding is the only viable means to sustain and grow an endangered population and avoid a species’ extinction. Stigmatizing zoo-assisted breeding programs is therefore irresponsible.