We therefore welcome the progress which the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has made in its discussions with the Chinese authorities and wish you continuing success in bringing these discussions to a satisfactory conclusion,' Mr Brown (pictured) wrote in the letter to RZSS chief executive David Windmill. --PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON - BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday backed a bid by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Britain on loan.
In a letter to the society, Mr Brown threw his weight behind plans to bring the breeding pandas to Edinburgh Zoo in 2010 on a 10-year loan, saying the government 'strongly supported' international cooperation on wildlife conservation.
'We therefore welcome the progress which the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has made in its discussions with the Chinese authorities and wish you continuing success in bringing these discussions to a satisfactory conclusion,' Mr Brown wrote in the letter to RZSS chief executive David Windmill.
The RZSS said in May that it was working with Chinese officials on the loan deal, which would make Edinburgh only the eighth zoo in the western hemisphere and the only one in Britain to care for such animals.
According to the RZSS, there are about 1,500 giant pandas in the wild, but experts have not yet ascertained the impact of the May earthquake in China's Sichuan province on the panda population.
Giant pandas are listed as endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of threatened animals.
The RZSS said that, as part of the agreement under negotiation, it will work with Chinese conservationists on research projects and also help fund projects geared towards conservation of giant pandas in the wild. -- AFP
