Having a monopoly on an endangered species has had certain advantages for Mainland China. I thought about that on a visit last year to the zoo in Toronto.

The Toronto Zoo has a couple of giant pandas on loan. They will be there until 2018, when they will relocate to Calgary for a time in residence at the zoo there before returning to China. There are very few giant pandas in the world’s zoos, and China is the only place you can find them in the wild.

The creatures are extremely popular, and the government of China controls access. That means the countries that get pandas are ones with whom China has a good relationship. It has been that way since the seventh century, when a gift of pandas was made from China to the emperor of Japan. Nowadays the pandas are loaned to countries rather than being outright gifts. Acquiring a pair of pandas for the local zoo might mean perhaps turning a blind eye to China’s human rights or environmental record. At least that is what the critics claim.

I went to the zoo to see the pandas. It wasn’t as if I had always wanted to see one; I was feeling no deficiency in my life. My favourite panda is the red panda, which I have seen many times at different zoos. Despite the name, red pandas are not related at all to giant pandas – most people seem to have never heard of them.

I went primarily because my family wanted to go. It seemed like a good family activity; we have had many pleasant outings to the Toronto Zoo, so many that for a couple of years we had an annual family membership, even though we didn’t live in Toronto. We visited often enough that it was worth it.

My secondary reason to see the giant pandas was because I wanted to figure out the appeal. Like anyone else I have seen pictures, and I know the beasts are cute, but wasn’t completely sure why people find them so appealing. Not only is their upkeep costly (at least I am making that assumption), but there is a pretty hefty annual rental fee involved for the host zoos.

We arrived at the zoo shortly after the gates opened, which meant we avoided the lineups that I am sure are there later in the day. There is an area set up for people to stand in line, but we just walked right in.

After watching the two pandas for an hour, starting inside and the moving outdoors when they did, I’m still not sure I understand the appeal. They just sit there crunching on bamboo. Then I decided that doesn’t matter. I don’t expect to visit China in the foreseeable future, so this was my best chance to see a giant panda. Admittedly, seeing them in a zoo is not like seeing them in the wild, but I don’t know if tourists get that opportunity anyway. They are an endangered species after all.

When it was announced that two giant pandas were being loaned to Canada by the Chinese government, there was a certain amount of criticism, given China’s less than stellar record in areas that are important to the Canadian people, such as human rights and the environment. The suggestion was that silence on such issues can be bought with a couple of furry crowd-pleasers.

Except if that was the intent I doubt it was very effective. If anything, the loan of the pandas brought China’s record to the forefront of public attention.

If you have never had the opportunity to see a giant panda and will be in Toronto before the middle of 2018 I would suggest making a trip to the Toronto Zoo a priority. I still don’t understand the appeal, but the visit was worth it.