Chinese Team: Confidential Instructions for Ling An, Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG)
You are assuming the role of Ling An, deputy secretary general of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG), in negotiating with American zoo representatives who seek giant pandas for an extended stay at their zoos. It is the spring of 2010, and you are meeting in Beijing. Your responsibility in these negotiations is to support CAZG Secretary General Wang with scientific knowledge and to safeguard the giant pandas. A zoologist by training, you are passionate about them and animal conservation in general.
CAZG
Established in 1985, CAZG is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the central government’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. CAZG plays a largely advisory role in managing zoos and parks with animal exhibits, although it is trying to become an accreditation agency. Most of its 200 members are government-funded, representing a third of China’s total number of zoos. CAZG oversees the care in zoos for giant pandas, while the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), an affiliate of the State Forestry Administration, is responsible for pandas in wildlife refuges. CAZG and the CWCA are the only organizations through which foreign zoos may legally obtain giant pandas.
Current Agenda
In panda negotiations, topics for discussion generally include: the duration of the pandas’ visit at the foreign zoo, loan fee, delivery (transportation, accompanying Chinese personnel, etc.), panda accommodations (housing, food), veterinary and other care, offspring ownership and care, subjects for cooperative research, and more.
This negotiation need not cover all of the above items. Your priorities are panda care and safety (delivery, accommodations), duration of the contract, delivery date, and cooperative research, particularly in captive breeding and re-introduction of species to the wild. You may rank these items as you see fit.
Your Objectives
Your main goal is the well-being of the giant pandas from the time they leave Chongqing until they return. You are also very concerned about the species’ long-term welfare and have a keen interest in related research and conservation.
In any agreement with an American zoo, you want to see a clause stipulating that CAZG-designated scientists and panda keepers must inspect the zoo’s environment and train local staff before any pandas are shipped to it. In addition, you think specialized Chinese staff should accompany the pandas and stay with them for at least the first three months of their visit. The American Zoo should pay the specialists’ salaries. You also want the zoo to make an explicit commitment not to push “animal performances,” a measure that CAZG has been working hard to implement in all Chinese zoos.
Concerning contract duration, you feel strongly about ten years at one zoo, as outlined in the model agreement. You have a hunch that the American team will propose sharing a pair of pandas, with Frontier Wildlife Park and Wilderness Haven Park each hosting the pandas for five years. If they do, you will voice concerns about too much movement for pandas (including possible cubs) and the suitability of both zoos. In your background research on the zoos, you were shocked to see news reports that raised concerns about animal welfare. You have strong reservations about sending pandas to an environment that may not be optimal.
Notwithstanding the potential drawbacks of moving giant pandas abroad, you generally support and have previously participated in cooperative, international research about giant pandas and species survival. You are organizing, with the support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, a series of annual conferences involving Chinese zoo professionals and foreign experts on topics such as accreditation programs, enclosure design, breeding in captivity, and re-introducing species to the wild. Another particular interest is how to raise females born in captivity to become influential mothers in the wild. Frontier Wildlife Park and Wilderness Haven Park have extensive experience with species reintroduction, making them appealing partners. On the other hand, because of the animal welfare concerns, you are left feeling ambivalent about developing a relationship with them. In any event, in your negotiations with the Americans, try to put mechanisms in place to ensure that knowledge and technology will be transferred to China. For example, you could insist that cooperative research projects have two co-principal investigators—one Chinese and one American. You want ready access to American expertise.
Finally, turning to the delivery date, you need three to six months to prepare a breeding pair of giant pandas for travel and a long-term stay overseas. CAZG must check and monitor their health, confirm their genetic codes, and update records. These procedures may be carried out while the host zoo builds panda accommodations. You do not need to wait until the accommodations have been approved.
You must set specific aspiration levels (objectives) and initial offers for panda care, contract duration, and cooperative research projects. However, you should probably negotiate these items with your superior, Secretary General Wang, and obtain approval or consent before voicing them in meetings with the Americans.