Animal campaigners accuse Scottish government of spending £43,000 on bash for arrival of animals at Edinburgh zoo
A row between animal campaigners and the Scottish government has broken out over a £43,000 "welcome party" for the giant pandas TianTian and Yuan Guang when they arrived at Edinburgh zoo last month.
The Captive Animals Protection Society (Caps), which campaigns against animal captivity in zoos, said the government had spent £42,722 on an arrival party to welcome the pandas, and associated marketing costs.
The charity said it used a Freedom of Information request to uncover the cost and said ministers had previously indicated that funding for the pandas would come from commercial sponsorship and other revenue resources.
The Scottish government said Caps' take on the event was "nonsense" and that the money had been spent on staff costs, a grant to the Royal Zoological Society for the pandas' arrival event and the marketing of Sino-Scottish links in Scotland and China.
A spokesperson said the government had made a "small financial contribution towards the cost of the arrival event in recognition of the fact that the pandas are a symbol of the great and growing friendship between Scotland and China".
TianTian and Yang Guang arrived at Edinburgh zoo in December and were greeted by hundreds of wellwishers when they arrived following their 5,000-mile flight from Chengdu, in China. The eight-year-old animals will stay in the zoo for 10 years in a lease deal, and it is hoped they will eventually produce cubs.
The Caps director, Liz Tyson, said: "The monetary contribution from the Scottish government was reported in the press to be small but, in these times of austerity, it is difficult to see how the government can justify spending nearly £43,000 on a welcome party for two animals."
The government spokesperson said it had been made clear from the outset that the government would not be providing ongoing costs associated with the pandas, but it should be recognised that the animals' arrival was a "fantastic opportunity" to strengthen the ties between Scotland and China.
More than 10,000 people have already booked tickets to see the pandas. A £250,000 enclosure was built to house the pair, and they are expected to generate an extra £2m a year in revenue for the zoo.
At the moment, they are living in two separate areas of the enclosure. It is expected they will first be introduced to one another in February or March when TianTian, the female, comes into season.