American zoos claim that the estimated rise in wild panda numbers to 1,864 demonstrates their conservation investments are effective, but this figure relies on a disputed 2013 Chinese tally.
Despite the claims of success, our investigation revealed that the majority of pandas bred in captivity have not been released into the wild, raising questions about the efficacy of these programs.
Many individual pandas have suffered injuries and even fatalities linked to aggressive artificial breeding techniques, which zoos have largely overlooked in their assessments of program success.
The zoos tend to focus on the increasing panda population as evidence of progress, while neglecting significant welfare issues and the reality that few pandas are ever released.
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