You may be surprised to learn that nearly all of the pandas found in zoos throughout the world are rentals.

You may be surprised to learn that nearly all of the pandas found in zoos throughout the world are rentals.

As they’re almost exclusively made in China, the country has a monopoly on them and charges accordingly.

Rather than loaning out the pandas or just selling them outright, there’s a financial arrangement in place that calls for annual payments and 10-year contracts.

Further, China retains the rights to all offspring born during the duration.

John Vidal of the Guardian recently gave an example of how much such an arrangement ends up costing.

He reported that fees assessed to the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland hover over 900 thousand US dollars a year for a pair of pandas.

Getting one, though, isn’t just about coming up with the money.

It’s been observed that China’s decision about what to loan to whom has a history of coinciding with larger trade deals between countries.

In fact, the use of pandas in global political dealings has earned its own name – pandanomics.

The practice also highlights how important pandas are to a zoo’s livelihood. Having one can, for some, ensure financial security with increased attendance, while for others the costs are almost too much to bear.