Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You recommend that the zoo not acquire the bears.
You decide that after looking over other nutritionists' research, panda
bears simply won't eat anything other than bamboo. In this case, it means
that you can't economically house pandas at your zoo.
This is the real-life decision that Michelle Shaw says she might have to
make if faced with a similar situation.
"We worked out that it would cost a quarter million per year to feed them,"
says Shaw. "All zoos have to work within a budget."
Cheaper substitutions can often be made at the zoo. "Some animals may do
really well on papaya," explains Shaw. "But that's expensive. In that case,
we could find a cheaper alternative that has the same nutritional value, and
that the animal would accept."
Panda bears are different. As other researchers have found, they only survive
on bamboo. If you want to house a panda, you need to have a steady supply
of this plant. As you realize this is out of the question for your zoo, you
pass on the idea of having pandas at your exhibition.
Perhaps you could look into accepting giant pandas on short-term loans
from other zoos. This would be a more economical way for the public to have
access to the amazing animals.