Habitat
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The panda is native to central-western and south western China. The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Due to farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
Pandas have been kept in zoos since B.C. in the Western Han Dynasty. Not until the 1950s were pandas again recorded to have been exhibited in China's zoos. A New York Times article in 2006 said that keeping a panda in a zoo costs five times more than the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos usually pay the Chinese governmet one million dollars in fees a year as part of a typical 10 year contract. In 2008, The San Diego Zoo's contract expired but they bought a 5 year extension for half of the previous yearly cost. Pandas in North America are located in San Diego, Washington DC, Atlanta, Memphis, and Mexico City.
Pandas have been kept in zoos since B.C. in the Western Han Dynasty. Not until the 1950s were pandas again recorded to have been exhibited in China's zoos. A New York Times article in 2006 said that keeping a panda in a zoo costs five times more than the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos usually pay the Chinese governmet one million dollars in fees a year as part of a typical 10 year contract. In 2008, The San Diego Zoo's contract expired but they bought a 5 year extension for half of the previous yearly cost. Pandas in North America are located in San Diego, Washington DC, Atlanta, Memphis, and Mexico City.