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Deal Signed for 10-Year Panda Loan to Munich’s Hellabrunn Zoo

The state will pay roughly €18 million for a new enclosure, drawing criticism from animal-welfare groups over costs and disputed conservation benefits.

Overview

  • The pair is scheduled to arrive by early 2028 after construction of a roughly 5,000-square-meter habitat slated to start this year.
  • Bavaria will finance the project, with the enclosure estimated at about €18 million and reported annual loan fees around €1 million per pair.
  • The initial term spans ten years under standard provisions that keep the animals and any cubs under Chinese ownership.
  • Hellabrunn will reorganize its Asia zone, relocating baboons out of the park and moving llamas to make space for the new facility.
  • Officials tout conservation and diplomatic gains as Markus Söder calls the deal a highlight of Bavarian–Chinese ties, while Pro Wildlife and PETA dispute the conservation value and raise welfare concerns.